A Change of Course
by ElizabethGreenleaf
Summary: CHAPTER 9! Post PotC. MM SLASH. JackWill. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.
1. Of Sunsets and Letters

Title: A Change of Course 1/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
E-mail: chichirinoda2002@yahoo.com or elvenarcherlover@aol.com  
  
Rating: R for now. Give me a few chapters and that rating will climb  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.   
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: Any R&R is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm There's a little paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: If they belonged to me, do you think that it would have been Elizabeth and Will kissing at the end? I'm in a dorky mood, so I'm going to put this into a nice simple truth/logic table form for you, though if I screw it up, pardon me and don't tell my Philosophy Prodessor!): Theorem 1: If Will kisses Jack at the end of the movie, Will does not kiss Elizabeth, therefore they all belong to me (MWAHAHAHA). Theorem 2: If Will kisses Elizabeth at the end of the movie, Will does not kiss Jack at the end of the movie, therefore PotC belongs to Disney, Jerry Braucheimer, and anyone else that the movie reel says. It is logically impossible for both of these theorems to exist in a logical universe, therefore one sis true and the other is false. So what do you think? Aye, sadly, they be not mine, no matter what I be wishin' for. Therefore I beg ye not to sue, for I fear ye'll get no more from me than my collection of dust bunnies and fanfiction and maybe I'll had over a few plot bunnies to harass you while I'm at it.  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Angst, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!!   
  
Author's notes: Thank you Cat for making me write this, oh, and of course, thank you for the challenge, which I'll mention in AN at the very end of the fic; after the last chapter that is ^^   
  
AN2: Thanks soooooooo much to Mel, my beta!!! I'm going to owe you a fic after all of this!  
  
"// //" = dream   
  
"* *" = thoughts  
  
On with the fic! Arr!!!  
  
Chapter 1: Of Sunsets and Letters  
  
William Turner, a silent and stoic figure of a young man, stood knee deep in the salt water that was steadily rising as the tide came in. From his position beneath a stone bridge, he watched as the sun sank into the horizon, illuminating Port Royal and her ship filled harbor. Perhaps if he stared long and hard enough at the horizon it would appear. It would start as a small black spot, slowly growing larger until you could finally see the billowing black sails of the formerly-cursed ship. The Black Pearl. Just the thought of the ship was enough to send an inviting chill down his spine.   
  
William smiled a bitter-sweet smile as he watched the sun slip beneath the waves. He sighed and waded back to the tree line and his hopefully still dry stockings and shoes, though his breeches were already wet to above the knee and it probably wouldn't make much difference. He found his shoes to be where he had left them, on top of a boulder beneath a palm-like bush. Sitting on the aforementioned rock, Will struggled to pull stockings onto still damp legs.   
  
"Damn it!" He growled as he threw one of his shoes for no apparent reason. Well, that is what one would think. He had reason enough to be frustrated, angry even if one wanted to think of it that way -- but he had no right to take it out on his poor, defenseless shoe! Swearing, Will went in search of his ill-treated shoe as the thoughts and memories he had been trying to avoid flooded to the forefront of his thoughts.  
  
i*Damn that walk. Damn that insufferably charming slurred drawl! Damn pirates!* /iWill thought as he approached his shoe, and again contemplated throwing it, only this time into the sea. Some shred of common sense remained within Will's head though, for he picked up the shoe, placed it on his foot, and walked towards the road leading into town. He also had enough sense to stop muttering about pirates, the Black Pearl, and above all, one Captain Jack Sparrow.   
  
A voice that sounded suspiciously like his dear Elizabeth's rang in his head. i*You're a fool, Will! Listen to yourself think! Have you lost every shred of intelligence you ever possessed? You sound like a love-sick fool. Nearly every night for the past, what -- three months is it now? -- You have come out here and watched the sunset and prayed for a mere glimpse of that damned ship! It's not just at night either! You're at the docks in the wee hours of the morn hoping that she'll have anchored into port during the night. You are a fool, William! A damned fool!* /iWill sighed. Why was she always right?  
  
Fitting his key into the lock of the smithy's door, Will was not entirely surprised to find it already unlocked. His heart fluttered in his chest. i*I didn't wait long enough! They came into port while I was walking home!* /i He opened the door cautiously nonetheless, his dealings with a particular aforementioned pirate in this very shop had taught him to be cautious. Inside, a figure stood with his- no /i back towards him.   
  
"Elizabeth," he said quietly, hoping that none of his disappointment in finding her here rather than a particularly odd pirate permeated his voice.   
  
Elizabeth turned towards Will, and even from a distance he could see the tear tracks on her face, not to mention her red and puffy eyes. She let out a small cry and practically threw herself into Will's arms and she began sobbing anew, quickly soaking his shoulder with her salty tears.  
  
It was long moments before she was calm enough to answer any of the questions Will was biting his tongue to keep from asking. Elizabeth loosened her grip on Will and took a step away from him, wiping her tears with a handkerchief and smoothing her rumpled dress of some of its larger wrinkles. Elizabeth made her way to the nearest chair and sat down with less grace and finesse that Will had ever seen her use. Remembering his manners, Will put on the kettle to boil water for tea.  
  
Elizabeth sat as if in a trance, unfolding, refolding, and re-creasing a peace of paper. Will, curiosity piqued, covered the distance between them. "May I?" He asked gesturing at the now-flimsy paper. Elizabeth seemed not to have heard him at first, for she continued to stair past Will, as if seeing something that was not there. Then suddenly she raised it up and passed it to him. Taking, or prying it, rather, from her hand, Will unfolded the paper. Upon closer inspection, he found it to be a rather official-looking document.  
  
iDear Miss Elizabeth Swann,  
  
I wish I could tell you this sad news in person, but this letter will have to suffice until such a time as I can return to port. It is with deepest regret that I must inform you of your father's passing. You have my deepest and most sincere condolences for your loss. He took ill some two weeks past, on the voyage here from Port Royal. He assured us all that it was nothing -- said that he had had the cough for months. By the time we were in port, his cough had turned deep and hacking. He saw a physician here, he said it was pneumonia. He died soon after that diagnosis, I am afraid. He was buried here with all the ceremony befitting a Governor of the Crown. Again, I send you my condolences and my deepest apologies. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. I shall be returning to Port Royal as soon as can be.   
  
Commodore Gregory Norrington  
  
British Royal Navy/i  
  
Will stood stock-still, holding the letter, shell-shocked. i*Mr. Swann, dead?*/i The denial swelled in his breast as he read and re-read the slip of paper. His revere was interrupted by the teakettle on the hearth. Will refolded the paper and placed it on the table next to Elizabeth before pouring tea for them both. He moved to sit, and then turned back to the shelf above the hearth where a bottle of brandy stood. Pouring a good amount into each of their cups before re-corking the bottle and placing it back on the shelf, Will finally sat down next to Elizabeth. Though she was usually adamantly opposed to the consumption of any type of libation, she drank her tea, which had far more brandy in it that Will's, without seeming to notice or care  
  
"Oh, Elizabeth," Will murmured as her tears began afresh. "What am I going to do?" Elizabeth asked, her voice broken with tears.   
  
She took a few deep breaths and stood, a look of cool resolve and finality fixed on her face. "I cannot stay here, in Port Royal; my house, my father's house, no, the /i House is not mine. It will belong to whomever their Majesties choose to appoint as the new Governor. I shall have to pack." Her voice was distant, and it pained Will to see her like this, but he knew not what to do to help her. "I suppose I could purchase my own home here, but it is not proper for a lady to live alone without a father, or a brother, or a husband to care for her and accompany her when she left the house. I suppose then I will be leaving for England soon. My mother and my father both had substantial estates near the coast. It has been dreadfully long since I have seen my home there. It will be nice to see it again..." She was speaking so impersonally and so flatly that Will was beginning to feel a sense of cold fear flowing through his veins.  
  
"Elizabeth," He spoke evenly, hoping to distract her, but she kept on talking.  
  
"I suppose the Commodore will ask for my hand again as soon as he is back in port. Maybe I should marry him, even if he is more of a heartless scoundrel than many pirates I know…"  
  
"Elizabeth!" Will shouted at her, finally bringing her out of her trance-like state and back to the present. "Listen to yourself!" Tears began to fill up in her eyes as she looked at Will. He took a deep breath and pressed on, hoping to force some logic into her grief addled mind. "Elizabeth, do you realize that you just spoke of marrying Norrington!" Will's anger and disbelief in what he had heard filtered into his words.  
  
"Oh, what do you know, Will!" She sobbed and yelled at the same time. "Do you know what it is like for me? Do you? You cannot understand that I will be forced to marry within the year or my reputation in society might as well be that of a Tortuga brothel girl! I must either return home to England and hope my Grandparents can find me a suitable husband, or I must marry someone here! Norrington is a good match! At least I could stay here!"  
  
"Elizabeth, Elizabeth," Will soothed as he took her in his arms again and rubbed soothing circles on her back. "You are right, I do not understand, but I am trying." She continued to sob and Will did his best to comfort her.   
  
A thought that had been creeping around in his brain came to the fore front again. He could ask for Elizabeth's hand again. He could sacrifice his life and future for her, to save her from a loveless marriage to Norrington or some other English lord. Could he really? Could he give up his dreams, those dreams that haunted his waking and sleeping moments? Could he put aside his longing for the sea for her? Could he do that for Elizabeth? If he did not act soon he would think too much on it and decide against it.   
  
"We could marry, Elizabeth." Those words mad it sound so simple, so /i. She sniffled and pulled away from Will.  
  
"What?" A myriad of emotions played out in her eyes as she tried to process what Will was suggesting.  
  
"We could marry." Elizabeth turned from him but will grabbed her arm and forced her to meet his eyes. "If it is the only way for you to be happy and free from a marriage to Norrington, I will gladly do it. To keep you close I would gladly do anything. I told Jack that I would die for you and nothing has changed my mind." Elizabeth tried to move again, but Will's grip was as strong as the iron he worked with. "Look at me Elizabeth, I love you, I truly do." Elizabeth looked and gazed hard into his eyes.  
  
"I love you too, Will," she whispered as tears silently continued to fall down her cheeks. "But I am not iin love/i with you." She raised a hand to silence his sweet words. "Neither are you in love with me. We both know this is true, there is no denying it."  
  
"But Elizabeth, we could make it work!"   
  
"No, Will! I will not have us spending the rest of our lives resenting one another for being tied down. This is not the life either of us wants."  
  
"But you deserve so much more, Elizabeth!" He reached a hand out to wipe away her tears. She removed his warm, calloused hand from her face and held it between both of hers.  
  
"As do you, Will. I know what I am doing. I know what I must do." She smiled faintly. "I will be alright. I swear to you." She let go of his hand and turned back to the table to collect her letter, which she slipped discreetly into her dress.(1) She turned again to Will. "Goodbye, Will." She kissed his cheek softly and then she was gone, leaving will with a heavy heart and naught but his thoughts and memories for comfort.  
  
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(1) According to Renee, who took costume history with the best costume teacher ever, she explained that women tied stuff to a belt of sorts inside their dress that was easily accessible to them if they needed it from (I think) a discrete slit in the side of the dress. Thanks, Renee!  
  
TBC…. 


	2. Of Dreams or Nightmares

Title: A Change of Course 2/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
E-mail: chichirinoda2002@yahoo.com or elvenarcherlover@aol.com  
  
Rating: R…for now…MAHAHAHAHA!!!!  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm There's a little paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, angst, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!!   
  
"// //" = dream   
  
"* *" = thoughts  
  
Chapter 2: Of Dreams or Nightmares  
  
Will's dreams were the one place where he could not escape the thoughts that he tried in vain to ignore during his waking hours. The good and the bad mingled in his subconscious to produce and project the desires he constantly tried to keep at bay.   
  
i  
  
//Images of a man who held himself with such grace and majesty that you had to wonder who he was in a previous life. Hair blowing in a sea breeze you could almost taste. The sight of him at the helm is enough to make Will's heart skip a beat.  
  
The feeling of chapped lips against his own. Strength and hardness instead of curves and softness. Eyes alone that light a fire in Will's soul that no female ever could.   
  
And then that same regal figure, who moments before was worshiping Will's body is broken, beaten, and dissolute as he is made an example of. Will watches on as Norrington orders the floor to be dropped and that once strong, proud man is no more than a broken rag-doll hanging from a string.  
  
Unspoken words haunt Will as the decaying form of the dead pirate accuses him of all manner of evil and betrayal. Those bonny figures with bits of decayed flesh wrap around Will's neck, seeking to destroy his life as he destroyed the pirate's.   
  
Tears stream down Will's cheeks as he is left alone in the darkness. No friends, no lovers, no one. There is not even the smell or sound of the sea to keep him company. There is no sound of bellows pumping, of fire crackling, of the steaming hiss of hot metal being shoved into cool water. There is not even the heat of the fire to warm him.   
  
Totally and utterly alone.   
  
Again he is adrift at sea, cold, lungs burn with the smoke of fire, the cries of the dying, people begging for their lives, filter in and out of his mind as he wavers between consciousness and the comforting black of oblivion  
  
Then he watches as his body is buried in a cheap pine coffin, no one but the minister and the grave digger to send him into the afterlife.//  
  
/i  
  
Will sat bolt upright in his bed, which, in reality, was little more than a cot. His night clothes were soaked through with sweat, his hair clung to his skin as his eyes frantically darted about. It was still fairly dark out; the sky was not even beginning to grey with pre-dawn light.  
  
Will took a deep breath and placed a hand over his racing heart. It had been a dream, a horrible nightmare where he was left alone, forgotten by the rest of the world. There had been no Elizabeth, with her intelligence, scalding tongue, quick friendship and fierce loyalty. There had not even been a Norrington to despise or outwit or to even poke fun at. But most strikingly, and most painfully, there was no Jack.  
  
"Jack." Will murmured the name aloud, as if saying his name would bring him closer, bring him to Will. Jack would never forget him, never leave him to die alone. Jack couldn't do that. He couldn't do that because…because Will had seen the way he looked at him. Seen that hungry look that was gone with another swallow or two of rum and more flirting with the prostitute who propositioned him, or re-checking that damned compass, or even feigning unconsciousness from too much alcohol. At the very least Jack wanted his body, at least for one night, at most…   
  
"Stop it!" Will commanded himself in the dark, trying to force his heart to listen to sense. But Will was never one to do things the smart way; he'd always hada tendency to follow his heart, to live in the moment, to do idiotic and stupid things. He had even, albeit partially unwittingly, gone so far as to fall in love with a pirate.   
  
Will cursed in a combination of at least six languages as he fought to be free of his sheets. It came from living in a port city, one could always learn to say the most vile and unpleasant things long before one ever learned the common 'hello,' 'goodbye,' 'please,' and 'thank you.'   
  
Pulling on a loose shirt and well worn dark breeches, Will readied himself for another day. His thoughts drifted to Elizabeth and their conversation the night before. He put it out of his mind for the time being. He could think in a few moments, he just had to take care of a few things first. He pulled his hair back and tied it with a leather thong and slipped into his stocking and shoes before moving to the chest at the foot of his bead. Taking a key out of some its hiding place on his person, Will opened the trunk and retrieved a wooden box, about a foot long and a third as long across. In addition, he took out a flat, leather wrapped object about the size of his hand. Pulling on his dark jerkin, Will tucked the smaller of the parcels inside his vest and tucked the other box under his arm before closing the chest and locking it. He frowned. It would have been more appropriate to wear all black, but as he did not have clothes that would do, he had settled on his most dark and subdued clothing.  
  
Ten minutes found him sitting on one of the piers gazing into the distance as the sun rose behind him and his wooden box sat next to him. It was then, and only then that he let the previous night overwhelm him.   
  
The man who was almost like a very rich uncle and benefactor to him was dead. Governor Swann had paid for him to be apprenticed in the black-smith's trade. He had paid for Will's clothes and board until he was almost eighteen, and he would never hear of Will repaying him. He was a kind man, and he loved his daughter more than anything -- Will loved him for that. He knew the aching loss of loosing one's parents and being an orphan. He had been an orphan for most of his life, and he knew well the pain of not having parents there to love and guide, to support and even to reprimand. He knew that Elizabeth was feeling this loss keenly and he needed to go to her, but he would wait until it was at least a decent hour to call upon her.  
  
i*She seemed so different last night. It was as if her fire had finally been tempered and she was cooling down after many years of passionate exuberance.*/i This thought was not a comfort to Will. Where was the girl who longed to see pirates? Where was the young woman who would sacrifice her life for his? Where was his best friend? She seemed resolved to a woman's lot in life…She had even mentioned marrying Norrington. That alone unnerved him, and in and of its self would have made Will question if she was in her right mind.   
  
i*I asked her to marry me!*/i That shocked Will. He was surprised that he had done such a thing! And even more so that Elizabeth had said no. Her reasoning was so sound that it hurt.   
  
They had tried to make it work between them not long after Jack left, but they both realized that what they felt for each other was the strongest bond of friendship combined with fantastical idolatry. It was the innocent love of childhood, but it did not contain the passion of lovers. When they kissed there were no sparks, there was no heat or longing. They were not meant to be, and after much anxiety and fear that the other felt something that they did not, they confessed in a rushed jumble of words the same thing – there was no hint of passion between them. They laughed about it afterward, and in the end, their failed romance seemed to seal their friendship.  
  
The sun began to warm Will's back and he decided that he had waited long enough; he would hence to the Governor's Mansion and to Elizabeth, whom Will knew must be hurting something dreadful.   
  
Upon arrival at the Governor's Mansion, Will was surprised to find the whole of the household already awake and busy. Will was welcomed in and stood gaping in the foyer as servants rushed around. Elizabeth appeared at the top of the stairs looking drawn and tired, as though she had not slept at all, and Will highly doubted that she had -- or if sleep had come to her it was fitful and unrestful.  
  
"Will!" She called as she hurried down the stairs, ignored propriety and embraced him briefly. Even in her black mourning colors she was still stunning to behold. Her hair was done up more firmly than usual and it lent her a more aloof and removed appearance that her usual warm and welcoming demeanor.   
  
"Elizabeth," Will smiled at her.   
  
"Come, have breakfast with me." She seemed to have forgotten all her etiquette; it was not proper for a blacksmith to dine with the Governor's daughter! But Will could no more deny her now than he ever could, and nodded in acceptance.   
  
Over breakfast he gave her the two parcels he had carried with him. The larger of the two contained a dagger, a light and fine piece of craftsman ship. "While I cannot be there to protect you, just knowing that you have a good dagger to defend yourself with is encouraging." Will had taught her how to use a dagger years ago, telling her that it could not hurt for a woman to know how to defend herself. She already carried a small dagger in her boot, but this one was of higher quality, and of superb craftsmanship.   
  
"Thank you, Will," her voice was filled with sadness as she took the other parcel and unwrapped it. It seemed to be a lovely set of fine hair pins, but upon closer inspection…"Will!" Her feigned indignity made Will laugh. Not only had he taught her to defend herself and fight with a dagger, but he had taught her to pick locks, and these hair pins were merely fancy lock picks /i as hair pins. Will grinned.  
  
"You never know when you'll get kidnapped by pirates." He winked. "Besides, ye did a fine job of letin' yer self in to me own home last night." He imitated a stereotypical pirating voice as he smirked at her.  
  
"Thank you, Will." This time she meant it. She inspected the 'hairpins' carefully. "You have a knack for the fine work of jewelry as well as your talent for fighting tools. I'm impressed."  
  
Their conversation slowed after that, until Will inquired as to what the household was doing. It seemed that she would not let herself mourn. She was throwing herself into work, which for her at the moment was the packing of all necessary items in the house and the sale of the items she would not be taking with her to England. She would work both herself and her servants to exhaustion just to ward off the pain of grief. Will understood but still felt a great swell of compassion for Elizabeth's serving staff.   
  
Elizabeth's hand shook as she tried to pour Will tea, and Will pretended not to notice. She would not meet his eyes and eventually, Will stopped trying to catch them.   
  
He had intended to return to work that morning, but he decided to remain with Elizabeth as a steady stream of callers came to give her their condolences, and on the way out it was not an uncommon sight to see them speaking to Thomas, the head of the house servants who was in charge of the sale of the items within the home. Elizabeth seemed to wither as the day wore on to the point that, by dinner, Will told the servants she would not be receiving any more callers for the rest of the day.   
  
Will said his goodbyes to Elizabeth and she barely acknowledged that he was there. The servants looked on with pity in their eyes and exhaustion in their bodies.   
  
He returned home to a shop filled with half-finished orders that would need to be taken care of in the morning. There would be no sunrises or sunsets to watch until he was caught up, but first, Will needed sleep. Striping off his stockings, shoes, jerkin and shirt, Will fell into bed. He hoped that if his dreams were going to haunt him, they were the pleasant kind, that when he woke it would be to wet sheets and longing or to painful desire and a need for fulfillment. Either option was better than the hollow, empty, alone and scared feeling that he had awoken with that morning.  
  
i  
  
//Again Will's subconscious was bringing horrors mixed with fantasy to life. The rotting skeletal form of Jack Sparrow takes Will in his bony arms and they dance while Jack pours bitter poisonous words into Will's ear. Words like 'unworthy,' 'dirty,' and 'traitor' spin in Will's head.   
  
They are no longer dancing; they are sitting on the battlements of Port Royal watching an execution below. There are two being hanged – Jack and…himself! Will watches as the nooses are slipped around each of their necks. Jack turns his head to Will, an expression of the deepest emotion -- of love -- is openly given to Will whom, upon feeling such a heated gaze, turns from where he is staring to look back at Jack. It is a mutual heated look of love and forever. They need no words to express how they feel; it is visible to all who are there to watch.   
  
The Will sitting on the battlements feels his heart constrict in his chest. His greatest dreams and nightmares are being combined in ghastly ways. He looks over to where the other Will's gaze had originally been; there stands Elizabeth, her arm firmly in the grasp of Commodore Norrington. Norrington gives the command to let Jack fall and the Will on the battlements can hear both his own voice and the voice of the soon-to-be-hanged-as-well Will screaming. The cries of Elizabeth Norrington can be heard as well.   
  
They wait before hanging Will as well; they let him watch as his lover, whose neck unfortunately did not break upon release, struggle for air as his face turns red-purple with too much blood as he is strangled to death. The Will on the battlements could feel his heart cry out in pain, and then he watches as the Will on the gallows dies. He can feel the life draining from himself and when he looks down, the Will on the battlements is just as skeletal as his companion.   
  
Will and Jack, two damned souls – living skeletons dance in the light of the moon.//  
  
/i  
  
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TBC… 


	3. Of Unexpected Hapenings and Farewells

First off I would like to say that I love all my reviewers!!!! *hugs you all and then passes around lots of Diant Digital Pockey* You have all made me so happy!!! I've been smiley and grinning all day because of you! Thank you all!  
  
FF.N Reviewers:  
  
Jaded*Secrets: There most certainly will be slashy scenes! Just give me another chapter or two and you'll see. Though I have to tell you, I'll have to tone it down a bit for ff.n and if you want to read the full NC-17 version, you'll find it on adultfanfiction.net  
  
eck: thank you very much ^^ I love positive reviews  
  
doompaw: Yes inclusion is a word, and I'm glad you like how I'm writing. I'll hopefully have a chapter up every 24-48 hours ^^  
  
Sandrine Black: Thank you thank you! I was debating even posting this fic at first and then I broke down and got back up on ff.n. I'm really glad people like this though, it has renewed my confidence in my writing abilities and is getting me over my writers block! Yay!  
  
Title: A Change of Course 3/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
E-mail: chichirinoda2002@yahoo.com or elvenarcherlover@aol.com  
  
Rating: R for now. The slashy NC-17ness is coming…erm…was that no pun intended…I'm nto so sure…  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm There's a little paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Angst, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!!   
  
"// //" = dream   
  
"* *" = thoughts  
  
Chapter 3: Of Unexpected Happenings and Farewells  
  
Again, Will woke with a start, his heart was racing and his clothes sweated through. It was not anywhere near dawn, yet Will knew he would get no restful sleep that night. Will splashed some cool water on his face and left his bed without looking back at it, afraid that his dreams -- his nightmares -- were real. Will could almost feel the ghostly touch of the damned Jack who waltzed him into oblivion. Will shuddered, though not from cold, as he slipped his work clothes on.  
  
Firing up the forge, Will stoked the fire until it was the proper temperature to heat the metal he would be working with. Will let himself go as he concentrated on working the steel of the sword blade. Hammering his emotions into every piece he worked on.  
  
It may have sounded strange, but Will liked to compare particular tasks to different people and by concentrating on thoughts about that one person, it seemed to make the time pass quicker and his work was more thorough.  
  
His hatred for Norrington was hammered into every link of the shackles and irons he worked, hoping with a perverse desire to see him shackled and behind bars without the leverage to save him from the bonds he deserved to wear. Will silently swore that he would never let Norrington marry his dear Elizabeth, for he would kill him before they could say their wedding vows. But it wasn't just Elizabeth, it was Jack. Will would never allow Norrington to lay a finger on Jack so long as there was breath in his lungs and strength enough in his body to lift a sword.  
  
Then came the cannon balls. While pouring the liquid metal for these Will sent a silent prayer out to all who would use them and all who would die from them, praying that his soul would not pay with the burden of those lives lost.   
  
He worked on shackles and cannon balls to every day items -- repairs mostly, pots, pans, common household things that people often took for granted but were truly the bread and butter of their livelihood. Into these Will concentrated on the strength and friendship of Elizabeth. Their long relationship was strong and as such Will sought to make his items just as strong.  
  
Then came his swords, the thing he loved the most to work on, to create things of such grace and beauty. Once his inspiration for swords was his dear Elizabeth, but as of late, his swords had taken on an even more perfect design as Will's muse has morphed into a pirate unlike any Will has ever heard tale of. It was the little things that Will would obsess over while he worked; the swagger of his hips was beaten into the red hot metal, the keen, sleek, and cunning of his ever plotting mind was honed into the blade's edge. The sturdy reliability of Jack's good friend, rum, was part of the hilt. The reflection of the sun off his earrings and jewelry, and even his golden teeth was interlaced into the elegant design work of the hilt. And over it all was Jack's constantly cool appearance. Even on the dead of summer when the entire crew was half-naked, save Anamarie, Jack stood proud and tall, a sheen of sweat on his skin, but no sign of the heat that seemed to afflict everyone else. Some of the crew joked and said that it was because he had no blood left in him -- it had long since been replaced by his beloved rum.   
  
Whatever it was about Jack that Will thought up went into the sword in his hands and in the end, Will would turn out another superb blade.   
  
Will stepped away from his work. It was nearing mid-morning and he had not even noticed. His old master and still owner of the shop, John Brown, was due to stumble in any moment and take up his place in the corner and pass out as he had every day for the past five or so years. Will still had a few minutes to himself before then though, a few minutes he could steal away and work on the one piece he longed more than anything to be working on.   
  
It was indeed something splendid and spectacular he wished to be working on, it was the blade he was making especially for Jack Sparrow. It was much like the dagger that he had given to Elizabeth, in fact he had started both at about the same time, but in the case of the sword, Will was putting every ounce of emotion he had into it. While he had made Elizabeth's dagger filled with the strength of their friendly love and sibling-like bond, it was not the greatest achievement in his young life. It was certainly one of his best pieces, but his sword for Jack, /i would be /i.  
  
With a greater eye for detail than any of his other works ever came close to receiving, that sword would be the crowning achievement of his life's work. The friendship, camaraderie, acceptance, trust (well that was iffy, but Will at least trusted Jack, even if Jack thought of him as a hot head who never learned to think before he acted,) and his faith in Jack was all hammered into his work and inlayed in the final details. Yet, in the end, it was incomplete and Will knew it. It was as if he feared to finish the sword because finishing it meant only one thing; he would have to come to terms with all the overwhelming feelings he felt for Jack.   
  
Will carefully unwrapped the un-finished sword from its place within his locked chest and held it in his hands. The sword had not had a hammer brought to it in weeks, for Will had stopped just before he finished. He had begun forging the sword within days of his return to Port Royal and Jack's escape. But then he had stopped and put the blade away. It was his dreams that scared him into action. He had watched his inner-self look at Jack with the honesty of his true feelings and Will had felt his fear melting away, but it was dream-Jack's death that brought it all into perspective. He loved Jack. Was iin love/i with Jack. That was the missing piece, the missing element.   
  
Will returned to the forge to find Mr. Brown dead to the world, his snores drowned out by the bustling city outside the window and the loud forge inside. A bottle of something was clutched in his hand. Will wiped his brow with his shirt and set to work on Jack's sword.  
  
The hours ticked by and Will only stopped briefly for a hearty slice of bread and a chunk of cheese to satisfy his hunger. He did not notice that he was not alone in the shop until a voice in front of him spoke in an oily smooth tone that made Will cringe as he looked up. "You're work seems to have improved as of late." Commodore Norrington stood in front of Will, a look of extreme concentration upon his face as he examined the sword in his hands. Jack's sword. Will resisted the sudden urge to snatch it back from the Commodore and he worked to keep his voice level and even.  
  
"Thank you, sir." Will took a deep breath. "Is there something you want, or is this a social call?" Will couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice.  
  
"How much for this sword?" Norrington asked as he continued to look the sword up and down. Will felt fire in his soul as Norrington examined the sword, it felt as though Norrington was lusting after his woman. Will gritted his teeth.  
  
"It is not for sale." Will put out his hand to demand the sword back. Norrington hesitated. Will met his eyes squarely and Norrington quickly handed the sword back to him. "Is there something I can help you with, /i?"   
  
Norrington sneered. "As a matter of fact, there is." He turned and took a step away from Will before turning back to him. "I know that you and Miss Swann have a strong, relationship. I was hoping that you could help me to…/i her to accept my proposal." Norrington held up his hand to keep Will from talking. Will's nostrils flared as he bit his tongue to stem the tirade of words saying what he really felt. "In her sad and unfortunate situation, Miss Swann has come to realize just how important a good marriage is. There are none other than myself in the area who could offer her the sort of life she is accustomed to."  
  
"What exactly is it you would like my help with, Commodore?"  
  
"Why, that is simple, my boy. I want you to convince Elizabeth to marry me." He grinned almost sadistically. "If you do not, Miss Swann will return to England and be married off there. At least this way you could be near your 'dearest friend.'"   
  
Will's jaw ached from his clenched teeth. The image of the Elizabeth in his dream struggling against Norrington's steel grip as Jack was hung was fresh in his memory. His nails bit into the palms of his hands. "Elizabeth is her own person, she can decide for herself who she will marry and when."  
  
"Are as naïve as you appear to be, Mr. Turner? I thought you had more sense and a better understanding of the world than that! You are her friend, one of her few, if not her only confidant. She will listen to you because she trusts you. She will listen to you because you are the only person she has left to turn to." Norrington stepped closer to Will and lowered his voice. "She is vulnerable now, more so than she has ever been in the past and I intend to use that to my advantage."  
  
"I will do no such thing, Commodore. I care for Elizabeth too much to lie to her, even if it meant keeping her close." Will was close to overstepping the bounds of his station and he knew it, but he did not care. It was time that Commodore Norrington learned that he was not an uneducated street-urchin who was blessed with a lucky break in life. He was the son of an educated Merchant's daughter, Jane Thomas, and a pirate, William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner. Strong blood, good blood flowed through his veins, even if some of it was pirate's blood. Perhaps it was that which made him so bold, and so reckless. "I would /i recommend to her that she marry you." There he had said it.  
  
"You, /i, are out of line! Who do you think you are? I demand an apology!" Norrington was livid, how dare anyone in Will Turner's position say such a thing to him!  
  
"I owe you no apology, nor will I take back any of what I have said. I have spoken naught but the truth today and I shall not begin to lie now. I suggest you leave, Commodore, before I 'loose my mind, and in a fit of jealousy kill the man who wanted to remove me from my love's heart and affections,' " Will lifted Jack's sword and pointed it at Norrington, who retreated one step.  
  
"You will pay for this, Mr. Turner. Someday I will see you hang for piracy and I will laugh as you struggle for breath that you cannot get. You are a pirate through and through, Mr. Turner. The old governor was too soft on you. I will see to it that his replacement knows iall about/i your antics this past season. Just you wait."  
  
"Get. Out." Will's voice was dangerously quiet. Norrington raised his hands in a forced air of nonchalance, but his eyes and a twitch of his mouth betrayed his nervousness, and he walked out the door.   
  
"Tha' wers fair foolish of ye," A slurred voice said from behind Will. Startled, Will turned to see Mr. Brown half awake and watching him. "He'll be yer enemy fer life now, mark my words." And with that Brown closed his eyes and began to snore. Will shook his head.   
  
He had slacked off for a day and did not practice his fencing skills. For the next two and a half hours Will constantly drilled himself in the same moves, parry, thrust, retreat, advance, etc. Constant repetitive drills taught the muscles of his body to respond to him at his slightest command. When he fought, it was as though he was always a step ahead of his opponent because he had practiced so much. He soon stripped off his shirt, hot from the mid day sun, the forge, and the physical exertion.   
  
The sun was hanging low in the sky when he finished; sunset would be upon them soon. Will felt the ever constant pull of the sea and he could not ignore it. Changing quickly into a clean shirt, Will was ready to leave. Jack's sword still lay on the table and Will paused and walked over to it. He held it in his hand, and almost without thinking he strapped it to his side and was out the door.  
  
Shoes and stockings hidden beneath the same vegetation on top of the same rock, Will was again under the bridge, in the shadows, watching the sunset and wishing that Jack were here with him. His hand continued to caress the hilt of the sword he had made for Jack. It truly was a magnificent weapon and had it been for anyone but Jack, Will would have bean loath to part with it, but as it were, now that it was complete, Will wanted nothing more to deliver it to Jack at that very moment.   
  
Will sighed. It would probably be months, if not years before the Pearl sailed into Port Royal again and Will was a fool to think otherwise. The Pearl would not be coming to him, so he would have to be going to it. He knew what he would have to do, he'd been planning it from the day he helped Jack Sparrow escape the executioner's noose. The itch to be back at sea was growing stronger, and his desire for Jack was growing by the moment. But Will could not leave until Elizabeth was taken care of.   
  
The sun had set and Will had not noticed. "Damn it." He muttered to himself as he gathered up his shoes and stockings and again hurriedly put them on.   
  
Instead of returning to his home, Will made his way up the streets to Elizabeth's, hoping that it was not too late to call upon her. As it turned out, the household was still very much awake.  
  
Will entered the house and he felt like he had never been in the place before. The foyer floor was covered in trunks and there was the occasional piece of furniture. The rooms were bare of most furniture and what was left seemed to be only the heaviest and most immobile things. "M'lady is in th' kitchen." The maid curtsied and gestured for Will to follow her.  
  
"I know my way, Mary." The maid nodded and disappeared. Will turned a corner and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where Elizabeth sat composing a letter.  
  
"Elizabeth?" He asked hesitantly, not wanting to disturb her.   
  
"Will!" She said in surprise. "I was just coming to see you after I finished this letter. Sit, sit, I'll only be a moment." Will did as he was told and looked around at the table. There were letters there addressed to everyone from the head of the house hold staff to Commodore Norrington. There was even one addressed to him. "Done." She said finally. Will noticed that her fingers were stained with ink when she swatted his hand for reaching for her letter to him. "You're not to read that until I'm gone." Will glared at her like a spoiled child who had been told no snacks before dinner, making her laugh. Her expression quickly darkened. "I'm going to miss that."  
  
"Miss what?" Will asked in confusion.  
  
"You making me laugh. Oh I'm just going to miss you, Will!" She launched herself out of her chair and into his arms. She was holding back her tears as best she could.   
  
"But we still have a little time together," Will comforted her, despite the tug in his abdomen that told him this wasn't true.  
  
"No we don't," She whispered. "I leave tomorrow for England, or rather to Virginia and then on a ship to England." She stood up to gauge Will's response.  
  
"What?" So soon? Will thought that she might be leaving within a week or two, but within the day?   
  
"I found out this morning that there is a merchant who was a childhood friend of my father's in port. He is sailing to Virginia with the morning tide. From there I will board either another merchant ship or a diplomatic royal ship and travel back to England that way."  
  
"Is there no other ship?" Will didn't realize he was practically begging.  
  
"No, nor is there one who's captain I trust more, aside from Jack, that is." She looked at him, her eyes pleading with him to understand.   
  
"Oh, Elizabeth, I wish you were not going." Will said quietly. She closed the distance between them.  
  
"I must, or I shall eventually have to marry the Commodore." She smiled, her eyes over-bright with tears. She smiled faintly and pressed her lips chastely against Will's.  
  
"What?" Will asked in confusion when she pulled away.  
  
"I had to be certain that there was truly nothing between us before I left." She explained simply.  
  
"And was there?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"No, there was not." She took a breath and looked down at her feet before continuing to talk. "There never has been anything between us, as we both well know. You need to follow your heart, wherever it takes you." She looked out the window as if looking towards the sea, which was not possible seeing as it was pitch dark out. "He loves you too, you know. He as much told me so the night we were on that island together."  
  
"Wh-what!?" Will sputtered, unsure of what to say or how to respond.  
  
"Captain Jack Sparrow is as much in love with you as you are in love with him." Will opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "Do not try to deny it. I see it in your eyes when ever anyone mention s his name. And that sword you have strapped to your side? You did not make that for just anyone, you made it for /i."  
  
"How-?" Will did not know what else to say. Elizabeth smiled.  
  
"Call it 'woman's intuition,' " Will looked skeptically at her. "Or we could just be honest and say that Jack was a little too drunk the night he and I were trapped on that Island together and said a few things when his tongue was too loose." She smiled and kissed Will's blushing cheek.  
  
"Elizabeth," Will huffed like a bird who fluffed his feathers indignantly.  
  
"Hush. Lets just enjoy our last night together and talk about all the good times we've had."  
  
"Agreed." He smiled and retrieved a bottle of wine, some cheese and bread from the counter as they sat down and talked.  
  
Late into the evening they talked, and they were both yawning extensively when it was decided that Will should leave.  
  
"Will I need you to do something for me." Elizabeth said in her most serious voice as Will was about to step out the door. From her tone alone Will knew she was not joking.  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Don't come and see me off tomorrow. If you are there, I don't think I can go through with leaving." Elizabeth searched his eyes for honesty when he responded.  
  
"If I must stay away, I will." He smiled sadly at her. "I guess this is 'goodbye'?"  
  
"I guess so." She smiled and was gathered up into a firm, strong, reassuring hug. She cried and wished the hug could go on forever. Will hung on, knowing this might be the last time he ever saw his dear friend.  
  
"Goodbye, Elizabeth," Will said as he kissed her cheek lightly, tears shinning in his eyes as well.  
  
"Goodbye Will. Tell Jack I said goodbye when you see him." She said the last like she knew it was certain, a firm fact of life.  
  
"I will." He held her hands, still reluctant to leave her forever.  
  
"Oh! Your letter! Elizabeth retreated into the house to retrieve the letter she had written for her friend. She returned and placed it in his hand. "Promise me you won't read it until I am gone? Until my ship has left port?"  
  
"I swear." He turned and descended the front stairs.   
  
"Good. Goodnight, Will Turner." She called after him  
  
"Goodnight, Miss Swann" He called as he turned to call to her, not being able to resist teasing for old time's sake.  
  
"How many times do I have to ask you to call me 'Elizabeth'?"   
  
"At least once more, Miss Swann, as always." Will smiled as he waved and turned again and was gone.  
  
Will was dead on his feet when he walked in the door of the shop. One good thing could be said for exhaustion – he rarely dreamed when his body was this exhausted. And Will did not dream that night, though his internal clock woke him just after dawn. Will hurried to dress and took Elizabeth's letter with him. He arrived on the dock that the Graceful Maiden had no more than half an hour left from, in fact he could still see it in the distance. He had kept his promise to Elizabeth and had not come and seen her off, but he had not yet begun to feel the loss of his best friend. He still could not believe she was gone!  
  
Will carefully unsealed the letter Elizabeth had written and began to read it. It was far shorter than he expected it to be.  
  
i  
  
Dearest Will,  
  
By the time you are reading this you are probably standing on the dock where the Graceful Maiden just set sail from. Please don't be mad with me Will, but I have done something that will change my life forever. I am not going to England. I am going to get off the ship in Virginia and make a new life for myself. I intend to change my name and such. Please do not be angry with me, but I just cannot do this anymore! I want to live my life the way I want to live it! Not the away society demands that I do! Someday I will write and tell you that I am alright, but you must promise not to come searching for me. Please, it is either this or a loveless marriage. I cannot do that Will, you know I cannot. I will not be forced to obey someone else's orders for the rest of my life! I want to be free! I want to be able to live with the same freedoms you and Jack have – the freedom to go where you want, do what you want, and to love who you want. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you'll do the same for me. Goodbye my dearest Will, I will certainly miss you.  
  
Love Always,  
  
Elizabeth  
  
P.S. Don't be surprised if the Commodore visits you some time after he receives my letter, he is going to be none too pleased with me. Thank you for everything.  
  
/i  
  
Will stood reading and rereading the letter. A combination of surprise, amusement and anger washed over him. She had taken her life into her own hands and he couldn't be happier for her, even if that happiness was tinged with fear for a woman alone in the world. If anyone could survive and prosper, it was Elizabeth. With that in mind, Will realized that he wasn't quite as shocked as he should have been.   
  
It all began to fall into place. Elizabeth had always dreamed of going away, of traveling, but she thought those would only be dreams for her. The night she found out about her father's death, she had been too resigned to her fate, Will should have known she wouldn't go without a fight!   
  
She had been too quiet, like she was planning something! But Will had just brushed it off as her packing and getting ready to move, he had not expected her to do this!   
  
His brotherly instincts told him to steal the nearest boat and stop her, but as Elizabeth's best friend, he stood firmly rooted to the spot. "Fly, Elizabeth, fly!" He whispered as the ship faded out of view.  
  
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TBC… 


	4. Of Sword Fights and Travel

Okay, I just re-read chapter three and I am ashamed of the number of spelling/grammar errors there are! I must explain that I write and keep on writing until I finish (when possible) and I rarely finish before 1 or 2 or 3 am, not to mention that I am horrible at proof-reading just after I am finished…so I post as-is and go back and edit latter….that is one of the causes for the errors, the other is the fact that I just suck at spelling, and I can't touch type, so I watch my fingers rather that the screen, lol. Oh! And I figured out why chapter 2 was so off, with the changing POVs, part of it was my mistake, but I had put in internal dialogue and italicized it, but when I posted it, the italics disappeared and made it sound weird. Sorry about that. So I have a question for you all – would you rather that I post right away, or would you rather wait until I have that betaed version ready? It's really up to you, my wonderful and lovely readers, so leave me feedback! Regardless, I will eventually post the betaed chapters, but its up to you if I post them from the get-go. Yes, I did say betaed chapters! I have a new beta! ::points at Mel then proceeds to jump up and down.:: I'm going to have to come up with something to give her for beta-ing for me…hehehe. Okay, on with the thanking people! And then the fic (I know that's what you all want!)  
  
I love you all!!! I have 57 reviews between aff.n, ff.n, private e-mails and 4 MLs!!! *Passes out* WOW!! Thank you all soooo much!  
  
RavensHaelo: Slash is coming, I swear by my honor as a fanfic writer! There will be slash, and there will be lots of it! Thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter!  
  
Rebma: I'm glad you like the story ^^ I won't tell you what I have planned for the future (aside from the slashy-sex) so you'll have to just wait and read!  
  
doompaw: I'm sorry I didn't get this chapter out yesterday, I wanted it to be up to standard, so I took my time. Thank you very much for all the lovely comments! They definitely fuel the creative fires! I'm not going to rush the slash (even though I fear some of my reviewers might mutiny on me if I wait too long). I want it to be natural and I really don't want to rush it. Thank you again!  
  
canisay: Lots of people need their Jack fix, and I will deliver, I swear! Thanks for the review!  
  
melia: thanks for stayingup late to read my fic! It makes me warm and fuzzy to read that someone has staid up/not gone to bed to finish my fic since I've done it so many times myself when reading fics ^^;; Thank you very much!  
  
Elfstone: Thanks for the review! I intend to keep posting as soon as I can get my fic finished. I know about the spelling mistakes, and you might find a few in here, I haven't given this chapter to my beta yet, I was in a hurry to get it posted ^^;;  
  
troublegirl: yes, here's some more!  
  
Tenshi-no-hikari/Jenny: Thanks for the review ^^ reviewes are what light the fire under my ass akd inspire me to keep writing, hehe. The Will'n'Jack-ness is coming soon!  
  
Kai(and Asher): I'm glad you like it! People with multiple personalities…cool! HeHeHe! And I promise to keep writing and updating, lol. I don't want to face the wrath of any mutinous reviewers who are out for blood.   
  
Veaira Winchester: Nope, I don't want to be responsible for the death(s) of any of my reviewers, so I'll continue to update as long as people continue to review. ^^   
  
Jadded*Secrets: Thanks for the review! Slashy goodness is coming soon! I prommiss! No, you are nto the only person who thinks Jack is hot. I'm a Will girl myself, but Jack is a DAMN close second! I can't imagine anyone think of Jack as "ew." Send them Cat's way and she'll straighten their arses out, lol. Though I must say, Jack could use a bath once in a while, hehe.  
  
QteCuttlfish: I'm glad you like the fic ^^ I'm trying to keep Norrington IC, but you might be right, he might be a little bit meaner, but not too much I hope! Thanks!  
  
Jane Silver: Thank you! I like some angst, but I'm not sure if I could make Jack or Will could be angsty-enough for unrequited or believed unrequited love.  
  
Sandrine Black: hehe, thanks!! Sorry I didn't get the fic up Friday, I wanted it to be up to par ^^ More descriptions of the sword within this chapter, I think Will will present it to Jack in the next chapter!  
  
Title: A Change of Course 4/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
E-mail: chichirinoda2002@yahoo.com or elvenarcherlover@aol.com  
  
Rating: R for now. The slashy NC-17ness is coming…erm…was that 'no pun intended'?…I'm not so sure…  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm There's a little paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Angst, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED  
  
"// //"-dreams   
  
"* *" - thoughts  
  
Chapter 4: Of Sword Fights and Travel  
  
Will stood on the docks for a long time after Elizabeth's ship was out of sight. He smiled one last time at the open ocean before taking his time getting back to the shop. He had caught up on his work the day before and was not intending to take on any more orders. Elizabeth was gone and that meant he no longer had any ties to Port Royal. He could leave, go anywhere he wanted in fact, and no one would care one way or the other. As soon as he received payment for everything in the shop, he would have more than enough money to--  
  
"Mr. Turner," a cool, slick voice stopped Will in his tracks. /i The Commodore was dressed in his usual uniform. Every hair in his wig was where it belonged and his clothing did not even have the slightest hint of a wrinkle. Will held his ground and his hand immediately went to the hilt of the sword -- Jack's sword -- he had taken to wearing.   
  
"Commodore Norrington." Will nodded to the man, Elizabeth's words still fresh in his mind. "What can I help you with this morning?" Will let his voice sound tired, listless and sad, like someone who had lost someone dear to him; in reality, Will could not have been happier for Elizabeth and her freedom was his freedom as well.  
  
"Do not play me for a fool," Norrington said in a dangerously quiet voice. "I know you were part of this!" He raised his right hand which held a letter written in Elizabeth's neat script.  
  
"I do not know what you are talking about." Will took his time to almost melodramatically inspect the paper still clutched in Norrington's hand. "Well now, that appears to be a letter from dear Elizabeth, if I do not mistake her writing." He shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal way. "I saw a whole stack of them on her table last night."   
  
Norrington looked as though he was about to pop a blood vessel or he wanted to ring someone's neck. Will had never been one to back down from a fight and Will was in just the mood to egg the good Commodore on. After all, he needn't worry about being good so as not to harm Elizabeth's reputation (which undoubtedly would have been stained had it been known her best friend was a bit of a ruffian rather than the mild mannered and courteous blacksmith.)   
  
"She gave one to me as well, Commodore."  
  
Norrington looked as if he was about to develop a twitch in his eye. "Aye, it is Elizabeth's hand." Norrington sneered. His eyes were full of a firry hatred as he looked at Will. "Might we go inside to /i this matter?"  
  
The gears in Will's head were working. Norrington did not want to have this conversation in public, which meant that Will /i wanted to because even if it only gave him a slight advantage, it was an advantage none the less. Pirates knew how to take even the slightest of upper-hands and use it as leverage to achieve the desired ends.   
  
"I know of nothing we need to discuss, Commodore." Will continued to play the part of the confused, exhausted, and melancholy young man who had just lost his dearest friend and possible future wife.  
  
"Read this, and /i tell me we have nothing to discuss." Norrington shoved the letter into Will's hand. With a sigh and much feigned disinterest, Will 'reluctantly' read the note, for while it was longer than the one dear Elizabeth had written to him, it was full of her biting sharp tongue.  
  
i  
  
Dear Commodore,  
  
As you will have found out already (seeing as I was supposed to have luncheon with you, and you will have gone to my home to find it empty and a letter waiting there for you with one of my servants) that I have indeed left Port Royal and I am beginning my journey home by way of Virginia. You are, no doubt, offended that I left rather than accept your gracious proposal, or should I say demand, of marriage. You should long ago have realized that I do what I please and not what other people demand of me. To be perfectly honest, Commodore, I would rather marry a pirate than marry you.   
  
I have a confession to make; I was not completely honest with you that day when I stood with Will in Captain Jack Sparrow's defense. Will said his place is between you and Jack, which certainly is true, but my place always has been -- and always will be -- between you and Will. Will gave me something you never did, and I wonder if you ever could. He gave me love. He loves me for who I am and not because I am the Governor's pretty young daughter. He loves me enough to trust me to follow my heart, wherever it takes me.   
  
You are a shallow man, Commodore. You care naught for me or for the person that I am; you care only for your rank and for your country. This is a New World Commodore, and I intend to make the most of it. I know that you are probably thinking that you shall send a ship after me and try to catch up. I might have you note that I will not go willingly with you, and I promise you, I have friends who will come to my aid. You know of whom I speak; all pirates will do what you want, if you are willing to pay their price.   
  
Good day, Commodore, I hope that our paths never meet again, for in all honesty I should very much like to run you through with my new dagger.  
  
Never yours,  
  
Elizabeth  
  
/i  
  
Will nodded solemnly and re-folded the paper and handed it back to Norrington. He did his best to keep his voice even and neutral. "What exactly is it that you want, Commodore?"  
  
"What do I /i? Mr. Turner, I thought you to be more intelligent than that." He stepped closer to Will, invading his personal space. "I want Elizabeth."  
  
"Well, Commodore, you seem to have a bit of a problem then. It seems to me that she does not want you." Will took a step back, knowing that his next words would provoke some action from the Commodore, especially when he made no effort to keep his voice down low in order to escape over hearing by the gossiping tongues of the locals. "If I were you, Commodore, I would not chase after someone who so obviously does not love me. A woman who would rather marry a pirate or skewer you with one of my daggers than accept your proposal does not sound like the trophy wife you seek, Commodore."  
  
That certainly pushed the commodore into action. Had Will not been anticipating Norrington's reaction, he would have most likely lost an ear. Fortunately, Will brought Jack's blade up just in time to parry the Governor's movements and to take a step back.   
  
"You dare to lecture me, Mr. Turner? You are out of line, sir." Norrington spat the last word out as though it was a vile thing. He advanced and lunged at Will; Will parried deftly and moved to the side, his eyes constantly watching Norrington's torso, waiting for the barest hint of muscle movement to betray what his opponent would do next.  
  
"I lecture no one, /i, I only speak of facts. It is not my problem if you do not wish to listen to the facts." Will lunged forward, catching Norrington off guard. If Norrington wanted a fight, Will would give him one. He knew well the rules of fencing, and he had learned that you did not win a fight by defending yourself, you merely delayed the inevitable.   
  
"How dare you!" Norrington thrust again and Will moved out of the way as the two began circling each other. The clang and swish of two well made swords filled the air. Norrington also carried one of Will's blades, one of his best actually, but it was not the spectacular piece that Will held in his own hand.   
  
"How dare /i, Commodore? Elizabeth does not want you. She would rather take her chances in England than to marry you. That should tell you something, Commodore." Will continued. "If you were to go after her," every few sentences Will would thrust or feign a movement to keep the Commodore on his toes. "Catch up with her and bring her back," thrust, "I am not the only one," feign, lunge, parry, "Who would protest or help her to get away from you."  
  
"Still keeping company with pirates, Mr. Turner?" thrust, "I would have thought," thrust, "you would have," a series of chopping strikes aimed at forcing Will to retreat were dodged as Will gracefully maneuvered out of Norrington's way "learned your lesson by now." A feign high as he tried to come in low at Will's exposed side. Will, however, was there, almost expecting Norrington's move.  
  
"Pirates are better company than self absorbed Navy men who seek only power and things they have no hope of gaining." Will moved in lightning fast causing the Commodore to stumble and barely block Will's attack.   
  
"You are out of line, Mr. Turner." Norrington was beginning to sweat. "I shall have to tell the new governor that one of his citizens keeps company with pirates when he arrives." Norrington resumed circling Will. He could not defeat the boy with the sword, so he would have to defeat him with words.  
  
"A new governor will not arrive for a few months yet and I shall be long gone by then, Commodore." They continued to watch each other, occasionally feigning but never engaging.  
  
"Ah yes, you shall be long gone." Norrington smiled cruelly as he lunged for Wills heart. "You shall be dead." Will parried the advance deftly. "I will see you hanged for piracy long before the new governor arrives." He moved in again to strike, but Will advanced, forcing him to defend rather than to attack. Norrington broke away, his taunts and jabs becoming harsher. "And just let your friend Sparrow try to save you. I shall have him killed as well. And you will watch him swing before you join him in Hell."  
  
That was what pushed Will over the edge. Norrington should have learned by now that Will didn't take kindly to his friends' lives being threatened or put in danger for any reason. But the Commodore seemed to have a hard time grasping this concept and it was high time Will taught it to him.  
  
"You have gone too far, Commodore." Will advanced on Norrington, tight, measured thrusts and lunges, forcing Norrington to retreat backwards again and again. His blocks were becoming hurried and his parries were fast becoming careless. Norrington tried once more to gain the upper hand by feigning left with a sloppy attack towards Will's shoulder and then cutting downward. Will caught Norrington's blade with Jack's and forced the blade out of Norrington's hand, pushing the off-balanced and surprised Norrington to the ground; the tip of his sword resting at Norrington's throat.   
  
"Now, Commodore, you will listen to me." Will leaned down towards Norrington, the tip of his sword never leaving Norrington's neck. "I could kill you right here and now Commodore, but I am a better man then you. I have more honor than you do as well. /i do not attack a man when his back is turned." Will lowered his voice to a dangerously quiet level. "Here and now, Norrington, you are going to swear to me that you will not go after Elizabeth."  
  
"Never," Norrington spat.  
  
"Never is such a long time, even when you do have a sword to your throat." Will nicked the skin of Norrington's face and it began to bleed. Norrington flinched. Will smiled and spoke again. "I had thought to do this quietly, but it seems I shall have to talk loud enough for our audience to hear now. Pity." Will plainly did not believe the last. He smirked as he stood back up to his full height and began to speak loud enough so that his voice carried into the gathering crowd.   
  
"Just think, Commodore, what it would do to your reputation to go after a girl who has plainly said she would rather kill you than marry you. Just think what people would say, 'The Commodore wen' afta d girl an' she din' wan' non' to do wit' 'im. Forced 'er t' come back, 'e did. Forced 'er t' marry 'im too. What a fool.' Is that what you want, Commodore? Don't be rash. And as for your blatant threat that I should help you to bring Elizabeth back or you would have me killed, you will do no such thing. You will never have the opportunity to hang me, for while I remain in Port Royal I shall give you no cause to have me arrested or hanged. Oh, and just so we are clear, if you ever lay a finger on either Elizabeth or Jack again, I shall cut you open from navel to nose. Just remember Commodore, I could have killed you today and I would have been in the right to do so, but I did not. I spared your worthless life today, remember that you attacked a man from behind, insulted him, threatened him, and it was you who ended up lying on the ground with a sword pointed at your throat."   
  
Will spat on the ground, missing Norrington by mere inches, and removed the sword tip from Norrington's throat. He turned his back on Norrington, did not offer the other man a hand to get up off the ground and kicked dirt onto Norrington's lost blade.   
  
Norrington used the nearby wall to help him stand and leaned against it for support as he called out to Will. "Where will you go now, Mr. Turner? Shall you go after your 'dearest Elizabeth' or do you intend to turn pirate and join up with Sparrow?" Will ignored Norrington's remark and cleaned the blood off the tip of Jack's sword. "I hope you do join up with that drunken, treacherous waste of a life and worthless member of society. Then I can see you both hanged, side by side. You will watch as he swings from the gallows and this time you will not be able to save him! You will be strung up next to him watching him dance from the hangman's noose. Yes, Will Turner, I /i see you-" Norrington's words were cut short as Will threw the blade that had been abandoned on the ground directly into the wooden beam next to Norrington's head, just close enough to nick his ear.  
  
"Commodore, I thought we went over this already -- threatening my friends will get you naught but a painful death. Then again, death might be preferable to the criticism you shall have to endure after this." Will turned on his heal and began to stride away.   
  
A livid Norrington moved to catch up to Will, grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around and brought his hand down with a loud SMACK! Norrington's palm had made firm contact with the side of Will's face and Will was not one to stand by after having been insulted in such a manner. Will's right-hook struck Norrington's face squarely in the eye. Norrington hunched over in pain, his wig slipping from his head as he held onto his aching face. Will kicked the wig towards Norrington. "Goodbye, Commodore. I take my leave of you and your city. I shall be gone by 'morrow noon, in search of my love."  
  
Will quickly made his way back to the shop and shut the door behind him, thankful to be alone. He sunk down into a chair and rested his head on his arms on the table. He could not believe what he had just done. He had crossed swords with Norrington and won! He had insulted the man, as the man had insulted him. Norrington's insults and threats had cut him deeply, bringing Will's fears about his and Jack's deaths to the fore-front of his mind. If his mind had not been made up before the fight, it was after it. Will needed to see Jack. He needed to reassure himself that Jack was still alive and he wasn't the rotting skeleton that haunted his dreams and nightmares. And Will needed to know if Jack loved him too. Not to mention that he needed to deliver Jack's impressive sword to him.   
  
The sword. It had served Will well in the fight. It was truly a masterfully designed piece and it flew threw the air as though it had a mind of its own and knew its target before Will did. Will examined the sword. The folded steel blade was etched with gold at the fuller(1). The grip of the hilt was solid and it too was inlaid with crisscrossing strands of gold and silver. Though the pattern was far more ornate and complex than was necessarily popular, it would suit the pirate very well. The pommel was solid steel washed with gold inlaid at the button with a rather large ruby Will had swiped from the piles of treasure at the Isla de Muerta. The full, swept guard was of a firm, yet intricate design and pattern, complete with a handful of black pearls set into the outer guard (the loop guard, the crossguard, and the knuckle guard). Will balanced the sword on his finger. Perfectly balance.  
  
"'Tis a fine sword." Will turned and pointed the sword in mention at the speaker. It was Mr. Brown. He was standing up, with help from one of the beams supporting the ceiling. "Will, you have far surpassed the training of an apprentice, and your skills are far beyond those of a journeyman blacksmith. You have become a master blacksmith without my knowing it." Will had not heard him sound so lucid in years. He took a leather pouch out of the inside of his vest. "Here." He held out the bag to Will, who stood and walked over to Mr. Brown and took the bag into his hands, and opened it up. Inside was a handful of pesos, silver pieces of eight and three Spanish doubloons. Will looked up, shocked. One doubloon was equal to about seven weeks pay for your average sailor(2).  
  
"Sir, I don't understand," Will began, confused.  
  
"It's simple, young William. Just the swords you have left here in this shop will easily amount to as much, and from what I have been hearing today, you need to leave Port Royal as soon as possible. You would not be able to sell nearly enough of what you have by tomorrow, so I am offering you a trade, the money for what you have left in the shop, minus what you intend to use personally, of course. What do you say?" Will had no choice, not that he really had any doubts about what to do.  
  
"Agreed. Thank you Mr. Brown." Will smiled and tucked the pouch into his shirt.   
  
"After all, if you do turn pirate, how many people will want to claim that they own a sword forged by the infamous Will Turner of the legendary damned ship the Black Pearl." Will laughed. He should have known there was some angle for Brown to make money in the situation.  
  
"Thank you." Will put out his hand and Brown shook it firmly. "Good voyage to you lad." And with that, Brown left the shop.  
  
Will quickly got over the shock of his good luck. He had not expected to have so much money leaving on this voyage, and he was suddenly thankful that he had a well-made trunk with a seamless, shallow, fake bottom. Will took one of the coins out of the pouch, placed it in his belt purse, and proceeded to empty his trunk. He placed the rest of the gold in the hidden compartment beneath the false bottom, repacked the trunk with all of his belongings, before adding his own personal sword (which he would use after giving Jack his sword), a dagger, a knife, and a hatchet.   
  
Will locked the trunk and made his way from the shop to the docks, looking for a slightly disrespectful merchant ship whose captain would take him wherever he wanted, for the right price.  
  
He spied iThe Spiteful Donkey/i, fondly known as 'the Ass' by her captain, John Southard, and her crew. The ship was in fact leaving in little over an hour when Will arrived. It did not take nearly as much monetary persuasion to convince Captain Southard to take him to Tortuga as he had expected. The two men shook on the deal and Will vowed to be back within the hour.   
  
Will hurried to the baker's shop and found Christopher closing up shop. "Chris!" Will called to him.  
  
"'Ello, Will." The slightly younger man with flaming red hair and a good dusting of freckles called back. "Wha' can I do fer ye?"   
  
"Might you be able to give me an' my trunk a lift to the docks?" Will tried not to sound too hopeful.  
  
"Surely. I'll be by as soon as possible. Dominic should be back with the wagon any time now." Chris smiled at Will. 'This would na 'ave any t'in ter do wit' yer fight wit' d' Commodore, wou' it?" Will just smiled at Chris mischievously.   
  
"Just bring that cart by as quick as you can." Will disappeared down an ally and walked into the blacksmith's shop for the last time. He would miss the place, but not as much as he would miss Jack if he were to stay.   
  
Chris came by a few minutes later and the two hoisted Will's trunk into the back of the wagon for the short trip to the docks. Chris talked about his upcoming wedding to one of the local seamstresses and in no time at all, they were at the dock where 'the Ass' was docked. Chris helped him get his trunk on board and two crewmembers showed them down below decks to the hammock that Will would use for the next two days. They returned topside and Will quickly said goodbye to his friend.  
  
The ship set sail for Tortuga, much to some of the crew's dismay. Will dined with captain Southard in his cabin that night. "What business brings a blacksmith to Tortuga?" The captain asked will in what he hoped was a conversational manner.  
  
"I'm looking for someone," Will said evasively.  
  
"And, if ye don't mind me askin', who might this someone be?"   
  
"A pirate."  
  
"A pirate, eh? There are an awful lot of those down in Tortuga. One pirate in particular, or will any one do?"  
  
"Oh, a specific one," Will said in a tone that ended the conversation neatly.   
  
The ship sailed on fairly calm seas for just over two days. They reached Tortuga near sunset. They docked long enough for Will and his trunk to be let off and then they were gone again.  
  
Will bribed a young man to help him carry his trunk to one of the 'nicer' inns. Will rented a room for the next two days, and retreated to his room to sleep for a few hours.   
  
Around midnight, Will woke up ravenously hungry and in need of a drink. It had been a long week and rum, Jack's poison of choice, was beginning to sound awfully tempting. Will took a seat towards the back where he could see everyone without everyone taking notice of him. He gave his order to the serving wench and she returned moments latter with a turkey leg and some rum. Will listened to the conversations going on around him for news of the Pearl. Several prostitutes propositioned the 'Pretty lad,' but he brushed them off.  
  
It wasn't until nearly dawn, when Will's eye lids were beginning to sag from lack of sleep and too much alcohol that word of the Pearl reached his ears.  
  
"Aye! I swear Is seen i'! Not a week back! 'Twer headed back 'ere, mes thought. But 'twer caught in dat storm de other day. Ain't been no word 'bout 'er since."  
  
This news made Will ill and he stumbled to his feet, anxious to get to his rented bed, to go to sleep and hope that the conversation was naught but a figment of his alcohol-clouded mind. Will stumbled into the room and onto the bed that Will did not want to even attempt to identify the smells and stains on the bed. Will fell almost instantly asleep.  
  
i  
  
//The Black Pearl blends in with the inky darkness of the storm. Sea swells splash over the sides of the ship. Jack stands at the wheel, trying to steer the ship threw the maze of endless, impossibly large waves. Will calls out to him but he can not even hear his own voice over the rain and wind. Lightning flashes in the distance and is followed almost instantly by thunder. The storm is coming closer; ever closer. Will races to Jack, but is swept off the stairs by a wave.   
  
CRACK!   
  
Lightning strikes the highest mast and sets the black sails aflame. Will calls out to Jack, to tell him, but Jack seems oblivious to it all. Fire creeps ever closer to Jack, and still he seems not to notice.   
  
BAMM!   
  
Will feels himself flying through the air before crashing painfully into the inky-water. Will fights to get to the surface, his lungs burning for air. He almost wishes he hadn't made it to the surface when he sees what awaits him. The Pearl is naught but flaming debris.   
  
Will screams out into the night.  
  
It is day and Will seems to hover above the water. There is sea, endless sea surrounding him. Jack! Jack lays almost motionless on a piece of wreckage. His clothes are a wreck and his skin is covered by burns. His breath comes in jagged gasps. Will tries to touch Jack, but his hand passed right through him. Will sits there and watches as Jack fries in the sun, alone and with no help in sight. Will feels so helpless.//  
  
/i  
  
Will awoke some time in the afternoon with a slight hangover, which could have been much worse. He raised his hand to rub sleep from his eyes and was surprised to find that his cheeks were wet with tears. His dreams and nightmares had always made real his deepest fears, and if his dreams of late were any indication, Will's greatest fears involved losing Jack. Slowly, Will opened his eyes, squinting to keep out the damnable sunlight.   
  
Will made to sit up, but found himself hindered. His hand was grasping the hilt of Jack's sword so tightly it hurt. It was an effort to command his fingers to release the hilt. Painfully Will stretched his cramped digits and sat up, taking a look around the room. His head was spinning a little and he most definitely had a headache. Will slowly swung his feet to the floor and tested them before standing on them. With a groan and the assistance of the bed post, Will stood up. "Mornin, luv." And fell over.   
  
i*That voice. It sounded like…No, it can't be…* /i"Jack?" Will's voice came out a croak as he tried to make his muscles work in the proper fashion and stand up.   
  
He was abruptly pulled to his feet and came face to face with the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. For a moment, he was sure he was going to faint with happiness. Jack Sparrow held him upright with a hand on each of his arms. Jack's gold and ivory smile shined and his eyes sparkled with mischief. His hair was held back with its customary red bandana, though the hat was missing. And Will could smell the distinct aroma of rum, salt, and unwashed pirate. "Aye, 'tis me, Captain Jack Sparrow."   
  
"Jack!" Will threw his arms around his friend, his love. Jack was warm and solid. He laughed and hugged Will back. "You need a bath." Will mumbled into Jack's shoulder.  
  
"Nice to see you too, whelp." He released Will and draped his arm around Will's shoulder, causing Will to stumble again until Jack steadied him. "So did you miss ol' Jack?" he asked with a toothy grin.  
  
*  
  
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(1) Here the sites I got my sword information from: http://www.deathstar.org/groups/ros/reference/rapieranatomy.gif and http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_anatomy.html if you're interested.  
  
(2) Its sad but true, Cat and I spent over an hour in the bookstore pouring over the Dorling Kindersley "Eyewitness Books: PIRATE" by Richard Platt. I took something like three pages of notes because I could not afford to buy this book. And just FYI, its really helpful and has LOTS of pictures. I will continue to quote from it, and from two other pirate books at future dates. Another book you might be interested in, its from the same series, its called "Eyewitness Books: ARMS & ARMOR" by Michele Byam. It has a whole section on dueling swords (i.e. rapiers)  
  
TBC…  
  
AN: Cat is over while I finish this and she is about to commandeer the laptop from me, so I might as well let her say what she wants…  
  
"Norrington is mine. I have taken him hostage and I hold him captive in my Mary Sue world! Gwah ha ha! Not that any of you miss the poor louse. I love the story so far and it only gets better!   
  
Stick Figure Jack: I need some Turner action soon, Lassie!   
  
Listen to the cute little stick Jack and give him booty. You know what kind I mean. 3 You rock. Keep up!"   
  
Thanks Cat ^^ she really did draw an adorable little stick figure Jack! Little word bubbles and all, lol. She's going to scan him into her computer and I'll post a link when she puts it on her web page. She wants to turn the entire fic into a stick-figure comic ^^()()   
  
Oh, and I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, life just keeps catching up to me, lol. 


	5. Of Conversation and Things Left Unsaid

Thank you all for your reviews! This is really an amazing thing for me, having so many people like what I write! You have renewed my faith in my own writing skills. Thank you all! Cat has promised me "something special" If I make it to 100 reviews between Aff.n, ff.n, MLs, and e-mails! I have 90 so far *head spins a the every thought* THANK YOU ALL!!!!   
  
Kuja's Moon: Thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter, which certainly id Jack filled ^^  
  
Kari: Thanks for the review, and the hug, lol. Keep reading and I promis you won't be disappointed by the 'romancin''  
  
Krimzon: Thank you. I love thoughtful reviews, If you do draw Jack's sword, I would love it and I'm sure Cat would be willing to host it on her ^^ Thanks again and I hope you like this chapter!  
  
Doompaw: Glad to be of help. I feel like I'm back at school some times with the amount of research I'm doing! Lol. I'm glad you like the story so far! Thanks for the review!   
  
Kouryou Sanomi: You haven't missed anything "yummy" yet on aff.n, but I will definitely let you know when you will. Thanks! I have the betaed versions of my chapters up, but if you see any mistakes, please tell me so I can fix em! Thank you!!!  
  
Amberdragon: Something bad should happen to the Commodore…maybe it will. *shrug* it all depends what the rabid plot bunnies and muses decide to do!  
  
Tongari: Thanks for the second review, hehehe. I felt like such an idiot when you pointed out the title thing ^^;;; yes, I think must have been channeling my inner drunken Jack at that point, lol. Thanks for pointing that out.  
  
Sera Lunma: hehe. I agree that the "mornin' luv" is very Spike as well as very Jack ^^ I think that any mistakes have been fixed by Mel, my beta, but if you see any errors, please tell me! Thank you!  
  
RavensHaelo: I promise there will be slash! If I don't follow through I give you permission the tie me to the rack and torture me!  
  
Jaded*Secrets: Hehe. Your review made me grin ^_^ I don't know if Jack ever takes his outfit off, but I think he will if Will has anything to do with it ^.~ hehe but we'll just have to wait and see!  
  
Borris: Hehe, here's some more! Hope you like it!  
  
Jane Fairfax: Thanks for the review! More Jack in this chapter!  
  
QteCuttlfish: Sorry about the clif hanger! I know they're annoying, but they're so useful! ^.~ Yes, I'm an evil fanfic writer!  
  
Sarafina: I'm glad you liked my fic! I hope it was worth the wait!  
  
Title: A Change of Course 5/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
Rating: R for now. The slashy NC-17ness is coming…erm…was that 'no pun intended'?…I'm not so sure…  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm There's a little paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!! Oh, I should probably add an angst warning here too…  
  
Author's notes: Thank you Cat for making me write this, oh, and of course, thank you for the challenge, which I'll mention in AN at the very end of the fic; after the last chapter that is ^^   
  
AN2: I haven't had this betaed yet, so please bare with me. I'll post the betaed version ASAP.   
  
"* *" - thoughts  
  
Chapter 5: Of Conversation and Things Left Unsaid  
  
Chapter 5: Of Conversation and Things Left Unsaid  
  
Will longed to let the truth just spill from his lips. He wanted to tell Jack that not a day went by when he didn't think of him, and his eyes, and his hair, and his smile, and the sound of his voice, and, well, /i! About the good dreams, which had generally involved quite a bit of kissing, groping, and other such wonderful things that could be done with a naked Jack, be he sober or not. And Will wanted to tell him about the nightmares, and to promise Jack that he would always be there to save him, whether it was a rash and fool hearty statement or not. But most of all Will wanted to let the words of love flow from his lips. He wanted Jack to smile and laugh and then sweep him off his feet, kiss him thoroughly and deposit him back on the seedy bed. But Will did none of the things he wanted to, and instead, smiled at Jack as only a person in love can, and laughed.  
  
"Now why on /i would I miss you?" Will teased. Jack raised an eyebrow, and with a mock look of shock and dismay, and with exaggerated slowness, took his arm off Will's shoulders and stepped away from the younger man, causing Will to again stumble, as Jack had been the one keeping him upright.  
  
"You alright there, luv? You look as though you could use a bit o' rum to steady yerself." Jack flashed Will one of his trademark grins as he found perch, leaning his back against the nearest wall and crossing his arms loosely over his chest, occasionally using one arm to gesture while he spoke. Will felt as though an entire flock of butterflies had taken up residence in his stomach.   
  
"How 'bout you an' I go down stairs an' I can tell you why you've missed me over a nice bottle of rum, savvy?" Jack's smile never faltered and Will could not help the faint blush that painted his cheeks.  
  
"Aye, that sounds like a plan." Will smiled and Jack, swaggering all the way, led him out of his room and down the stairs to the common room where Will had listened to pirates talk the night before. Jack lead him to the back of the half-full room, right to the table where Will had sat the night before. Will froze. He could still hear the voice of the pirate ringing in his ears. *"'twer caught in dat storm de other day. Ain't been no word 'bout 'er since."* An involuntary shudder rippled down Will's back as the sight of a burnt and broken Jack Sparrow floated beneath him, dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
"Lad?" Jack asked in a concerned voice when Will seemed to freeze in his tracks and his mind seemed far away. Will did not even hear Jack when he spoke. Jack looked carefully at Will, examining the pale features of the boy. *He's no boy, Jack,* Jack reminded himself. *He's a bloody pirate! And the son of a bloody good pirate too!* The look in Will's eyes read as muddy mixture of fear and pain. "Will?" Jack's voice lacked its usual carefree (or careless, some might say) intonation and Jack sounded quite sober and concerned. It took Jack grabbing Will's arm to shake him out of his unpleasant reverie.  
  
"What? Sorry, Jack, my mind must have been elsewhere." Will smiled, laughing it off, though Jack noticed that the laughter never reached Will's eyes. Jack's usual half-drunken manner slipped back into place, though his dark eyes were keen and alert, and they were focused on Will.  
  
"No problem mate. How bout that rum?" With a tilt of his head, a charming smile and a wink, Jack signaled the serving wench, who was being harassed a bit on the other side of the room, and she came to get their order.  
  
Jack flirted and teased the woman, who could not have been more than a year or two older than Will himself, to the point where she blushed like a proper English lady, a fact which Will found rather entertaining.   
  
A frown suddenly creased Will's brow. He did not look so much upset but more concentrating very hard on one thing in particular. Jack, noticing that his companion's attention no longer was on him opened his mouth to speak and was interrupted by the serving wench who deposited two pewter tankards of beer and a sealed bottle of rum on the table along with some sort of meat that Jack did not want to examine all that closely. Jack immediately lifted the tankard to his mouth and let the beer slide down his throat as if it were naught but water, which Will supposed it was to Jack.  
  
"How did you find me?" Will asked suddenly, his eyes piercing into Jack's almost accusatorily. Jack took another swallow of beer before speaking.  
  
"Oh, well, you know," he used his slightly grimy hands for emphasis when he spoke. "There really wasn't much to it, if you catch my meaning." Will obviously did not believe Jack's story, so the pirate tried a different approach: extreme nonchalance bordering on boredom. "You know a little bit of information here, a little bit there."   
  
Will raised an eyebrow at Jack as he drank from his own tankard. "The truth, Jack." Will tried to sound stern, but a smile played at the corner of his mouth, which he tried to hide by taking another drink.  
  
"Ran into a merchant ship today," Jack said almost brightly, and seemingly out of no where and for no reason in particular. Will let him continue, hoping that Jack was not just trying to change the subject.   
  
"By 'ran into' you mean you attacked?" Will asked, surprising Jack with the lack of his old accusatory intonation in reference to pirating.  
  
"Not exactly." Jack leaned in across the table towards Will, his voice becoming more animated (if possible) as he described the encounter. "You see, we were a bit surprised to see a nice merchant ship sailing from Tortuga, and we thoughts we might be having a bit o' friendly conversation with them."   
  
Jack paused and looked to Will, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Jack shrugged and continued on. "We came upon them fast and they didn't have a chance. A slow little ship, older, and no cannons. Nothing really special about it, it just piqued my curiosity why a merchant ship would be sailing from Tortuga, seeing as it's a favorite past time round these parts to torture merchants. Must've been something pretty valuable for them to have come within ten leagues of here."  
  
Will drank deeply from his tankard, trying to stop the combined nausea (for he had a feeling where this story was going) and the fluttering that seemed to only increase as Jack spoke, caressing Will's ears with their tones and forcing Will to concentrate hard to understand what Jack was even saying. "Interestin' name, that ship had. The iStubborn Donkey/i. Didn't put up much of a fight, after all, this is iThe Pearl/i we be talking about." Jack paused for a moment to gauge Will's reaction, which was masked by the tankard, whose contents Will seemed intent on consuming as quickly as possible, ant that alone was enough of a response for Jack to continue.   
  
"Seems the crew had taken to calling her iThe Ass/i. Amusing name. Well, we searched the ship, port to stern, found little of value. A few bottles of wine, a few handfuls of silver -- nothing of any great value. At least till we searched the captain. Found somethin' interestin' there. Seems he had recently come into possession of a gold doubloon. Now this tale needed telling before I decided what to do with the ship. And quite the interestin' tale it was."   
  
Will Turner was a lovely scarlet shade and he seemed to be able to look anywhere that wasn't at Jack Sparrow, which only made Jack grin. "He said he'd been docked in Port Royal three days back. Said there was quite a commotion in the streets. Somethin' about a duel between a tradesman, a blacksmith if I'm not mistaken, and a British Navy officer, a captain or commodore, someone of high rank. Seems the young tradesman won the duel, even with the officer fighting dirty. The merchant captain said the lad who won was a fair impressive sight with a sword in his hand. Fair impressive sight was the sword itself too. Made by an expert at his trade. Well, seems as though this same lad shows up and offers the captain of iThe Ass/i a gold, Spanish doubloon in exchange for passage to Tortuga. It seems the captain of iThe Ass/i was in some sort of trouble and was needing the money enough to take it. After all, only a fool would pass up an offer like that. When I asked what business the lad had in Tortuga, the captain said that the lad only said that he was 'lookin' for a pirate, a specific one.' Fancy that. Well, now, it didn't take ol' Jack here long to put two and two together."   
  
Will was frozen to the spot. He wanted to both get up and run as fast as he could out of the dimly lit room and to stay right where he was and listen to Jack talk for the rest of his life. His hear pounded in his chest. He wanted to lean across the table and kiss Jack like a saucy and daring prostitute. He wanted to--  
  
Will was distracted from his train of thought as Jack returned to talking, seemingly oblivious to Will's warring emotions. "I had to wonder just how many 'Will Turner's' there were in Port Royal. And just how many of them were blacksmiths. And how many of those were a fair hand with a sword. Or were likely to be using their skills in an impromptu duel with a commodore. And how many of them were acquaintances with pirates. It seemed that there could only be one, after all, just how many Will-Turner-expert-blacksmith-and-swordsmnn-who-is-disliked-by-a-commodore-and-is-friends-with-a-notorrius-pirate are there? So we took what was necessary, left the ship whole and the crew mostly unscathed (I was feeling generous today) and set sail for Tortuga. Looked for the most respectable place 'round here and then turned on the Jack Sparrow charm and flirted with the owner of this here establishment 'till I found what room you were staying in."  
  
Will shook his head and for some reason he seemed to feel a pang of jealousy run through his heart. "You are something, Jack. You'll flirt with anything in a skirt to get what you want, won't you?" Jack took notice of Will's 'odd' behavior and catalogued it in his mind for future consideration.  
  
"Nay, you misunderstood me, whelp! While most of what you said might be true, I assure you he wasn't wearing a skirt!" Jack smiled brilliantly and Will was entirely caught off guard. He blinked at Jack and opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to form coherent thoughts and doubting that his ears had heard correctly, while at the same time praying that they had. Jack chuckled and sat back in his seat, enjoying the expressions Will was making.  
  
"See, I was telling you the truth." Jack looked at Will intently. Will could not help but meet Jack's intense gaze. "I'd never lie to you, Will; I may omit the truth from time-to-time, but an all out lie…" Jack let the sentence hang in the air. Will blushed and averted his eyes. He noticed that Jack absent-mindedly ran the tip of his finger lightly around the rim of his nearly empty tankard as the silence between the two grew larger and more poignant.   
  
Suddenly, Jack licked his finger, downed the rest of his drink and picked up the still sealed bottle of rum and stood up, a handful of coins clattering to the table for payment. "How 'bout we find a better place to share this bottle of rum?" Jack had a mischievous glint in his eye. Will narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's too nice out for us to stay in here all night," Jack said by means of an explanation.   
  
Will nodded and soon found himself following after Jack like a pet on a leash. Jack wound his way through the maze of streets, somehow parting the crowd as he went. It seemed to Will that Jack's charm went into over drive as constant murmurs of " 'Scuse me," and "Sorry 'bout that," were intermingled with smirks, half-smiles and winks. Will soon realized that they were making for the docks, and for iThe Black Pearl/i. Jack walked with confidence of a king, the swagger of the local drunk, and the charm of the greatest actors.   
  
Jack beamed as they came upon iThe Pearl/i. Even without her sails out she was a frightening and magnificent ship. Legend said that the wood of the ship was stained with the blood of it's victims, though Will thought that to be highly unlikely as the sod was a blackish gray rather than the brown-red of old blood. Jack made his way up the gangplank and onto his ship, with a greeting to Duncan who was on watch. Will stopped and stared. It was as though a picture from one of his day-dreams had come to life. Jack stood proudly on the deck of his ship, one hand on his hip, the other holding a bottle of rum. Will felt heat rush through his body at the thought of where such dreams often ended up.   
  
Jack turned to see Will staring up at him from the dock, looking at him and not seeing him at the same time. Jack was beginning to worry about the boy, his behavior that day was unusual to say the least, but it did give him a chance to watch the boy without being caught. He watched as Will's sensuous lips ghosted into a smile and his whole body seemed to relax. Jack could have spent the entire day watching Will, remembering every little detail of the brunet who was painted so beautifully in the summer sun.  
  
Will shook himself out of his reverie and looked up to see Jack looking back at him, the oddest expression on his face. The expression was quickly replaced by a cat-got-the-cream grin as Jack called to him, "Are you comin' aboard or will I have to drink this all by me onesies?" Will smiled back at his friend and boarded the ship.   
  
i*How can anyone i onto the ground so damned gracefully!?*/i Will wondered as Jack sat himself on the deck and leaned back against one of the masts.   
  
Will watched as his friend broke the seal of wax round the bottle of rum and then took a long swig of it. Will watched as the lids of Jack's eyes slid shut to touch their kohl darkened mates. The muscles in Jack's throat contracted with each swallow and Will himself swallowed, though more from nervous anxiety than from anything else. Jack offered the bottle to him a moment later and Will took the proffered bottle. Leaning against the mast Jack was sitting at, Will too slid into a sitting position.   
  
They passed the bottle of rum back and forth for a bit, neither saying anything, just enjoying each other's company and a bottle of good rum. The companionable silence was something Will treasured, loved, and longed for on lonely nights in the forge with only a donkey for company. He and Elizabeth were not unused to companionable silence, but it was a rare thing for them of late, seeing as it was improper for a lady to be alone with a man, particularly a man beneath her station. But companionable silence with Jack was another thing all together. You could almost hear the wheels in Jack's head turn as he sat there thinking about something or other, weather that something was which ship they would go after next or which verse of the song Elizabeth had taught him, it didn't matter. The silence was filled by friendship, an unusual one perhaps, but a friendship none the less.   
  
And it was filled with other things. It was filled with Will's desire for Jack. There was only about a foot separating the two of them after all, and it would be so easy for Will to inch his way over until…  
  
"So where has the lovely lady gone off to this time that you again need my help to rescue her?" Jack's tone was even, which might not have seemed unusual to the casual bystander, but Will knew it was a sign that Jack was annoyed.  
  
"Elizabeth?" Will asked, trying to decide the best way to go about the conversation without saying too much.  
  
"No, the other lass you were willing to risk your neck and turn pirate to save," Jack joked, but it seemed a tad bit forced. Will wished he could see Jack's face from where he sat, but he could not.  
  
"I don't know where she is." Will answered truthfully. He took a deep breath and continued while he still had the courage to speak and before he thought too much about what he was saying. "Governor Swann died." The audible sound of Jack putting the bottle of rum down between them.  
  
"If that's the case, shouldn't I be congratulatin' you? After all, when I left the two of you seemed rather cozy." This was not going at all how Will had intended. He stood up a bit to fast and lost his balance for a moment, catching the mast for support and closing his eyes.  
  
"No. It's not like that." Will said, his eyes still closed.   
  
"Is it not? Then tell me lad, what is it like?"  
  
"We weren't meant to be together. We're not in love with each other. We never were." Will mentally crossed his fingers and hoped he was doing the right thing.  
  
"Oh really? I seem to recall the two of you risking your lives to save each other's hides more than once. I'd call that love." Jack had stood up and was now facing Will.  
  
"Yes, I love her. But I'm not in love with her." Will kept his eyes down.  
  
"So you love the girl, but you're not iin love/i with the girl."  
  
"Correct." Will chanced a look up and saw that Jack was looking rather thoughtful and stroking his braided beard.  
  
"And she feels the same?"  
  
"Yes. She turned me down when I asked her to marry me. After she found out her father died, I mean." Will hurriedly added though he wasn't sure why.  
  
"Stop me when I get something wrong." Will nodded. "So you ask your orphaned friend to marry you to save her from marrying a complete stranger or worse yet, that horrible Commodore Norrington." Jack enhanced his speech with exaggerated words and exuberant hand gestures. "So she leaves Port Royal for… England, I'd assume, and before leaving she pissed off the good Commodore enough that he thought he would confront you about it. You win the fight and charter a merchant ship to Tortuga to find iThe Pearl/i and convince us to go after the girl." By this time Jack was counting off points on his fingers.  
  
"Stop." Will said quietly, his voice oddly hoarse. "Your right on most accounts, but not on the last. Yes I asked her to marry me to save her from marrying Norrington, yes she left Port Royal to head eventually to England, and yes, you were right about the Commodore and me fighting. But I did not come here to ask you to help me find Elizabeth!" Will's temper was getting out of hand. Perhaps it was the rum, or maybe Will was just cracking under pressure, or maybe it was his defenses going up; after all, if no one got close he couldn't get hurt.   
  
Will stepped away from Jack and made his way towards the gangplank. He couldn't think straight, and when he couldn't think he had a tendency to blurt things out and to say things that he would later regret.  
  
"Will, come now! Don't get upset!" Jack's usual drawl was back, which seemed to do naught but add fuel to the fire.  
  
"Forget it Jack," Will was quickly descending to the dock. "I shouldn't have come here."   
  
Will quickly walked towards the ladder at the other end of the dock leading down to the beach.  
  
A rather confused and perplexed Jack followed after the apparently very angry Will.   
  
Will walked quickly, occasionally picking up a rock and throwing it hard into the water.   
  
Jack kept up with Will, staying a dozen or so paces behind so as not to be hit by one of the rocks Will seemed so fond of throwing.   
  
Finally Will stopped, his breathing was coming in shortened gasps. Jack caught up to Will and stood with his arm leaning against the nearest palm tree. "If you wanted me to go with you on a walk mate, all you had to do was ask." Jack sounded sincere despite the light tone. Will wanted to find another meaning in those words, a deeper value that meant that Jack truly had feelings for him, but Will couldn't let himself dream things like that.  
  
"Go back, Jack." Will sounded almost defeated and that frightened Jack. Where was that fire in the face of adversity? Where was the firry young man who had put a pistol to his own head to save his friends?   
  
"Sorry, whelp, I can't be doing that." Jack took a few steps towards Will.  
  
"Jack, just leave me alone." Will's temper flared and his hand when to the hilt of the sword he wore at his waist.   
  
"I can't do that, Will."   
  
In an instant, Will had drawn the sword he carried and pointed it at Jack. "I said, Go. Back."  
  
"And I said no." Jack ducked beneath Will's blade, rolled out of the way and drew his own sword as he righted himself.   
  
The two circled each other, both weary to fight, their desire to not want to hurt each other warring with their drive to win.  
  
A few timid, testing lunges and parries they began to fight in earnest, neither gaining the upper hand. Words were the key to Will's undoing and Jack used that fact as leverage. The right amount of pressure at the precise moment…  
  
"Interesting sword you've got there." Those words were just enough to make Will falter momentarily; just enough for Jack to use his sword to catch Will's and disarm him.   
  
The blade flew through the air and Jack caught it deftly in his left hand, pointing both at Will.  
  
"I yield." Will said quietly. Jack returned his sword to its rightful position on his person and began to examine the sword Will had been carrying.   
  
Will watched as Jack examined every inch of the sword. Will felt exposed having someone stair at something so personal to him. He felt as though Jack was looking into his very soul and his eyes were not even on him! Will blushed and suddenly seemed to find his shoes extraordinarily interesting.  
  
Time ticked by slowly and still Jack examined the sword. Will looked up again. Jack's hands ran lithely across the blade, from the fuller and forte, across the middle ridge, past the terzo, along the foible and then his finger lightly grazed the point, testing it's sharpness, and smiling when he cut his finger on its exceptionally keen edge.   
  
The way Jack handled the weapon, with such a gentle touch…Will would have given every doubloon in the Spanish Maine to have been that sword just then. To be caressed by Jack's tan, weathered, calloused hands…Will barley swallowed the moan that threatened to escape from his lips. As it was, he was quite glad for the long vest that covered past his hips and hid the slight bulge in the crotch of his breeches. Will flushed again.  
  
"Your craftsmanship has improved immensely, Will. I have never seen such a well made sword forged in the New World. This piece could rival those made by even the masters in Toledo, Milan, and Solingen(1)." It was respect and perhaps a touch of awe that colored Jack's speech as he presented the sword back to Will hilt first. "This is a magnificent weapon, Will. It is obvious even to the common layman that this sword is…unique to you. Take care of her, she'll serve you well."  
  
Will swallowed. He could feel himself walking on the edge of a knife, careful balancing what he said and did.   
  
Will held up his hands in a gesture that obviously meant that he would not take the weapon back. "No she won't, Jack." Will took a deep breath and met Jack's confused gaze with his intense one. "She will serve /i well."   
  
The look in Jack's eyes was one of surprise, elation, confusion, and denial. He shook his head. "I cannot take it, Will.' He tried to pass it to Will again, but Will would have none of it.  
  
"But you must!" Will's fire and energy were fast returning. "I mean…It's yours, Jack." Jack opened his mouth to argue. "I made it for /i," Will paused, "it was part of the reason I came to find you."  
  
Jack stared at Will and then back at the sword. His. /i sword. A sword that Will had made for him. His heart beat faster in his chest and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't know what to say," Jack said honestly, eliciting a chuckle from Will, who was quite happy with himself for having succeeded in making Jack Sparrow speechless. "Thank you, Will." He met Will's eyes and was happy to see the content look on Will's face.  
  
Jack grinned and tried a few practice lunges and cuts with his new sword. She fit perfectly into his hand. It was as though Will knew exactly what Jack sought for in a blade. Perfect weight, balance, length, and the design was just elegant and showy enough to make Jack happy.   
  
As Jack pranced around with his new sword, thrusting, blocking, ducking and gutting at invisible foes, Will looked on. A sense of contentment and satisfaction filled him. He had mad Jack a good sword, a great sword that would serve him well. Will bit his lip. He wondered if Jack could feel the emotions Will put into every hammer of the steel. He wondered if the gift was enough; though enough for what, Will had yet to figure out.  
  
Jack, grinning still, came up to Will and draped an arm across Will's shoulder. "How bout we head back to iThe Pearl/i and finish off that bottle of rum? Savvy?" Will turned his head and smiled.  
  
"Sure."   
  
Jack took his old sword out of its sheath and threw it to Will, who caught it deftly. "We can't go around depriving one of the best swordsmen this side of the Atlantic of a sword." He winked and sheathed his new sword where the old one once stayed, his hand ever caressing the hilt.   
  
Will sheathed Jack's old sword and followed after the crazy pirate who was quietly singing the song Elizabeth had taught him.   
  
The sun was beginning to set and Will stopped to look at it. After what seemed like years of sunsets spent waiting for Jack and iThe Black Pearl/i to return to Port Royal, Will was finally reunited with them both. His feelings for Jack had not changed since they were reunited, but Will would not do anything to jeopardize his friendship with the unusual pirate, even if that meant… "Nearly every day I watched for you, for iThe Pearl/i. Always hoping that I would see the ship that was like a nightmare herself, cutting a shadow into the setting sun." Will closed his eyes.  
  
"You said that this sword was one of the reasons you came here. Why else?" Jack was suddenly very close. Will had not noticed that the pirate had turned around and walked back towards him.   
  
He was less than an arm's length away. Will swallowed nervously and forced himself to keep eye contact with Jack. "I came back because I can't deny that I'm a pirate." Jack grinned at this. "And," Will took a deep breath, "I would rather die at your side than live the life of a Master Blacksmith." Will could not bring himself to say anymore, and feared that he had said too much as it was. Jack looked at Will with something akin to awe on his face.   
  
Will stood there, his skin the color of cream in the light of the setting sun. Much of the hair that had been held back by its leather thong had come undone and what was too short to be tucked behind his ears fell gracefully into his face. Will's eyes burned with emotion as he spoke as if he weighed and measured each word before he said it. Will's eyes told of things unsaid: of fire and passion, of raw desire, of lust and perhaps even of love.   
  
Jack closed the distance between them in one step. He searched Will's eyes for a moment before placing a finger beneath Will's chin and gently bringing his lips together with Will's.   
  
Will's heart beat uncontrollably as Jack's chapped lips came in contact with his own. The gentle, innocent and chaste kiss sent a jolt of electricity through his body and Will found himself wrapping his arms around Jack and pulling them closer together. Will gasped at the feeling, for Jack's strong, muscled physique flush against his own. Jack took the opportunity to let his tongue gently and deftly delve into Will's mouth.  
  
Will playfully darted his tongue into Jack's mouth and they battled for supremacy. Jack seemed intent on memorizing every inch of Will's mouth. Beneath the faint lingering taste of rum was Will's own unique flavor and Jack decided that rum tasted far better in Will's mouth than it did coming out of a bottle.   
  
Will himself was in heaven. Jack kissed him in a way he'd never thought possible. They broke for air, panting. Already Will missed Jack's taste and the feel of his tongue in his mouth. He moaned softly and brought their lips together in a more intense and demanding kiss.  
  
Jack pulled away, panting for breath. Will smiled. Jack's lips were bruised a darker red as Will imagined his still-tingling lips were. They were both smiling recklessly and Jack laughed quietly.   
  
Jack leaned over and kissed Will's forehead and eyelids and nose before lightly kissing his mouth again. "We should head back while there's still light enough to see by." Jack said sensibly, though his body sincerely objected to anything that took it away from Will's welcoming body.  
  
"Mmm," Will nodded in agreement and reluctantly stepped away from Jack.  
  
They walked in almost perfect silence back to the ship, both afraid that if they started talking they would stop walking and start groping, and soon enough find themselves on their backs, lying in the sand.   
  
Not soon enough they were on the dock walking towards iThe Black Pearl/i. Jack strode on ahead. He turned and offered Will a hand to help Will board, despite the fact that Will did not need any assistance. Will threw Jack a heated glance and Jack met it for a moment before breaking eye contact.   
  
"Welcome aboard iThe Black Pearl/i." Jack grinned wickedly. Will grinned back.  
  
"If I'm staying, I'm going to need my trunk." Will said practically, trying to keep thoughts about Jack's lips out of his mind.  
  
"I'll send Kursar and Matelot for it." Jack said casually as he strode off in the direction of the two still mostly-sober crewmen, giving them orders and then returning to Will's side. "Satisfied?"  
  
"Not yet." Will grinned.  
  
"We're going to have to remedy that." Jack laughed as he led the way to his cabin.  
  
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(1) The best swords came from Toledo, Spain, Milan, Italy, and Solingen, Germany according to the Dorling Kindersley "Eyewitness Books: PIRATE" by Richard Platt.  
  
TBC…  
  
AN: Does anyone else see a chibbi-Jack leading a chibbi-Will on a leash in the near future? I think Cat does, hehehe. 


	6. Of Actions and Mutiny

I will respond to everyone's reviews in my bext chapter – I'm just running late at the moment and I want to get this posted before the weekend. I love you all and you make my day when you leave me reviews! Sorry about the delay in getting this out. Please forgive me on both accounts! I hope you all like my chapter! Enjoy!  
  
NOTE!!! THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CONTENT!!!!! THE NC-17 VESRION IS AVALIBLE ON AFF.N: http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/story.php?no=7840&chapter=6  
  
Title: A Change of Course 6/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
Rating: R (on ff.n only! NC-17 everywhere else  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm There's a little paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!! Oh, I should probably add an angst warning here too…  
  
Author's notes: Thank you Cat for making me write this, oh, and of course, thank you for the challenge, which I'll mention in AN at the very end of the fic; after the last chapter that is ^^   
  
"* *" - thoughts  
  
Chapter 6: Of Actions and Mutiny  
  
The door to Captain Jack Sparrow's quarters was barely shut when Will found himself roughly pushed back into said door. The gentle kisses they had shared on the beach were morphing into demanding, passionate lip-locks that cried out for more. Jack pressed his body full against Will's, then roughly rubbed their groins together. Will gasped. The fact that Jack was just as hard as he made him groan into Jack's mouth.  
  
It wasn't enough to just be pinned to a wall with Jack pressed against him; Will needed to feel Jack's naked flesh. Will's hands pawed at Jack's clothes, uncertain where to begin in the process of undressing his companion. Jack seemed to sense Will's frustration as well as his desire. Jack trailed kisses along Will's jawbone and to his ear. Jack's warm tongue lightly traced the shell of Will's ear and the younger man groaned.   
  
Jack's voice was little more than hot air caressing Will's ear. "How 'bout we move this to the bed?" A pleasurable shutter ran down Will's spine.   
  
"Aye." Will managed as a shaky reply.  
  
"Good." Jack stepped away from Will, much to Will's displeasure, and divested himself of his vest, belt, boots and effects. Will's eyes were riveted to Jack's fingers as he worked. Jack was now clad only in well-worn shirt and pants that did little to conceal his arousal. Will licked his lips and swallowed repeatedly. He longed to kiss and lick every inch of the pirate, particularly that bit of flesh exposed by this untied shirt.   
  
"You like what you see, whelp?" Jack teased. Will could not move, could not even manage a tiny 'yes,' and replied with only nods that spoke volumes. They told of desire and longing, and an insatiable hunger.   
  
Jack chuckled at Will's sudden inability to move or speak. Jack took pity on Will and approached him again. Jack met Will's hot gaze and grabbed Will by his belt, pulling Will towards his bed.  
  
Will was so absorbed in the depths of Jack's hazel-brown eyes that he was surprised to suddenly feel a bed pressing against the backs of his legs. Jack pushed him playfully and Will fell backwards.   
  
Jack stood back and watched as a surprised Will sat up and glared at him. Jack just smiled mischievously, leaned over, and kissed Will lightly. Will put his hand at the back of Jacks head and pulled him down into a deeper kiss, tongues sliding across each other in an elegant battle where there was no victor or conquest.  
  
Without breaking the kiss, Jack maneuvered them both onto the bed fully and straddled Will's hips.   
  
They broke for air and Jack began deftly unbuttoning Will's quilted jerkin. Jack lightly pushed Will's hands away as they moved to help. Will tried to meet Jack's eyes, but Jack appeared to be preoccupied with his task of disrobing Will.   
  
Will loved the feeling of Jack's weight on top of him, undressing him. With marginal effort on Jack's part, he removed Will's jerkin, belt, and shoes, all of which were now haphazardly piled on the floor next to the bed.   
  
Will took the advantage of Jack being slightly distracted and off balance from removing Will's shoes to reverse their positions, pinning Jack's wrists to the bed beside his head with a grin.   
  
"Do as you like, whelp. I'll not break." Jack's twinkling eyes met Will's, and Will saw the naked desire in them. While Jack seemed to be at his usual, carefree but in control, his eyes spoke differently. Will could feel the fire in them slowly burning off the façade that was normally in place. Will grinned recklessly. He would make Jack forget everything, and he would see the naked, unguarded emotions play across the pirate's face, and he would make him scream.   
  
Jack noticed the almost calculating look on Will's face and raised an eyebrow in question, but the question died there because Will brought his lips down to tease Jack's. Will lay his body down on Jack's and gently rolled his hips into the pirate's. Jack growled and Will brought their hips together once more.   
  
While his hips set an excruciatingly slow rhythm of near torturous friction, Will's hands un-tucked Jack's shirt and brought it up over the pirate's head. Will bit his lip to keep from moaning at the sight of the half-naked man before him. Jack's tan and well-defined muscled torso was smooth beneath Will's roaming hands.  
  
Will was almost drooling over the possibilities before him. He started by kissing down from Jack's mouth, suckling at the hollow of his throat, before moving further down, teasing with feather light kisses, gentle nips at Jack's skin, and soothing laps of his tongue against abused flesh. Will pinched one of Jack's nipples, making the pirate squirm beneath him. Will teased Jack's other nipple to harness before gently lapping at each pert nub in turn. Short, barely there caresses, long, languid strokes, every action teasing Jack, making the pirate wonder just what else Will could do with that tongue.   
  
Jack groaned as Will's hand dipped between his thighs and slid up until it rested on the cloth covered bulge in Jack's pants. Jack seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for Will's next move. Will's hand firmly grabbed Jack through his clothes.  
  
Will could feel Jack becoming harder in his hand and he grinned.   
  
Will apparently wasn't moving fast enough for Jack's tastes, and soon found himself on his back on the bed again. Jack grinned down at Will, his wild hair a bit more mussed than usual, hung down around Jack's face, giving him a darker, more mysterious look. Will gulped. Jack's weight on top of him was comforting in the way no woman was. Will had paid for a whore's services on occasion, and had bedded a few of the local girls as well, but nothing compared to Jack. Jack was all muscle and tanned skin. He was firm and - /i - Jack's thrust reminded him.  
  
Jack's hands seemed to be able to be everywhere at once – caressing Will's skin, teasing brown nipples, depriving him of his shirt… Not that Will would have complained. He was in heaven, pure and simple. Jack's hands and tongue were almost tormenting in their incessant assault on Will's writhing body.   
  
When Jack's hand slipped to the buttons of Will's breeches, intent on following the light trail of hair on his abdomen to its still hidden source, Will froze. Jack, fearful that he had gone too far too fast, froze as well.  
  
"Do you want this, Will?" Jack asked, his voice husky, his words seeming to take longer to pronounce. Will, breathing in short, shallow breathes, nodded.  
  
"Yes." The croaked reply was full of the painful need for release. Will looked at Jack as if to say 'if you stop now I will run you through with your shiny new sword and baptize it with your blood.' The verbal and nonverbal responses clear, Jack proceeded to unbutton Will's breeches and slip his hand beneath Will's linen underpants (1).   
  
Will gasped. Jack's hand, Jack's hot, calloused, and slightly rough hand was gently stroking him -- /i was more like it. Will grew painfully hard at Jack's feather light touch. Will growled at Jack, his verbal skills apparently limited to muttered and growled obscenities in a variety of languages.  
  
Edited for content Start It was Jack, not some whore or drunken sailor, or even himself who was pleasured him. It was the handsome and devilish pirate who was dragging him over the edge. Edited for content End   
  
Will could not hold on any longer and let himself go with a strangled cry. Warm, sticky liquid covered Jack's hand and Will's stomach. Will's breathing was coming in shallow, shaky gasps, which wasn't addled by the fact that Jack was idly drawing patterns in the sticky mess on Will's stomach while waiting for the young man to recover.  
  
Will loved the feeling of Jack's fingers idly dancing across his abdomen, occasionally tickling his sides. With a satisfied smirk, Will sat up and brought his lips together with Jack's. Things were just beginning to heat up again when something crashed above them.  
  
Jack pulled away from Will reluctantly, and put a hand to Will's lips, warning him to be quiet. Jack listened intently to be sure that the noise they'd heard had been naught but an intoxicated brawl. Silence. Jack waited another minute, just to be sure, and then returned to kissing Will thoroughly.  
  
The crack of breaking wood, the smash of some sort of pottery or glass, and the faint noise of scuffle above decks caused Jack to break their kiss again. Jack growled, "I'll kill 'em," and pulled away from Will again, annoyance and anger flared in his eyes. Jack stood up and hastily searched for his shirt on the floor of the cabin in the dim room. Swearing a bit, Jack found his flint and steel and lit a candle to see by.   
  
This was not the wisest choice fore the captain to make if he actually intended to leave the cabin any time in the near future. Will's relaxed form was now lit by the gentle candlelight, extenuating and highlighting Will's entire body, making Jack long to explore and memorize every inch of light and shadow. The fact that Will lay there open and exposed did not help him any. All Jack wanted to do was saunter back over to Will, strip them both of every stitch of clothing and then take him! Jack's erection strained against his pants once again, and it was a supreme effort on his part to make his body obey his commands of /i and i*Not now!*/i.  
  
Jack straightened his shirt and was strapping his belt and effects on when the barely muffled noise of a gunshot blast came through from the deck above. "Bloody hell! What are those drunken bastards doing?" Jack was stuffing his feet into his boots when a hasty knock began on his door.   
  
Jack glanced over at Will, who was trying to button his pants and pull on his shirt at the same time. Jack smirked faintly and moved towards the door, opening it without pause. He caught AnaMaria's fist in his hand when she made to continue knocking on the now open door.  
  
"This had best be good, Ana," Jack warned her in a dark tone Will had never heard before from the pirate.  
  
"Are you deaf Jack? Or just stupid?" AnaMaria obviously did not like the tone Jack had taken with her. "I'm not daft enough to disturb you w' out reason, /i." She glared at Jack and glanced into the room. She arched an eyebrow at Will, but held her tongue for the time being. She returned her sharp gaze to Jack and met his eyes squarely. "It seems that Crimp has tried to stage a mutiny."  
  
Jack was livid. His mouth was set in a grim line and his nostrils flared. "No one will take iThe Pearl/i from me again." Jack's hands went to the hilt of his new sword and to the butt of his pistol. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Will was behind him, buckling his belt.  
  
Jack pushed ahead of AnaMaria and made his way to the upper deck where the ruckus was occurring. Jack muttered curses about his mutinous midget crewman. Will caught things like: "bootless, foot-licking urchin-snouted barnacle!" and "lumpish half-faced maggot pie!"(2) between threats of decapitation, disembowelment, and other equally pleasant means of death.  
  
When the three emerged on deck, there was chaos everywhere. Will noticed that Cotton and Gibbs were tied to the main mast and gagged. Moises was keeping a sword pointed at them, but he was being relentlessly attacked by Cotton's parrot, who squawked "Polly want a cracker?" as he flew at Moises aiming to scratch his eyes out with his claws. Kursar and Matelot were struggling to fend off Tearlach, Duncan, and three others Will did not recognize as being crew members. Ladbroc lay in a pool of his own blood at the bottom of the stairs. Crimp and Quartetto, as well as another five scoundrels Jack recognized only as hired thugs with swords, stood back, watching the scene from a ways back.  
  
Jack was livid, to say the least. No hint of his usual personality remained. Will, with his sword unsheathed, made for the outnumbered Kursar and Matelot. Jack made directly for the mutineer Crimp and AnaMaria went to free cotton and Gibbs.   
  
Will killed the first man quickly. They were so absorbed with their fight and their taunts that they did not even notice Will's approach. Will dispatched Tearlach with a dagger to the heart. Kursar subdued another of his attackers and when the third unknown attacker died at AnaMaria's knife blade, Duncan surrendered.   
  
Will turned. Jack was deftly fighting two rather large opponents, whose size and brute strength made up for their simple swordsmanship. Will hurried to Jack's side. They fell in time with each other and it was as though they could anticipate each other's moves. It had been like that in Port Royal when Jack escaped the second time. It was a unique feeling. Will knew that if he moved left, Jack could move right, keeping their backs to each other.   
  
Will was suddenly caught in a situation he could not remedy fast enough. One of the brute's had brought his cutlass down against Will's blade and pressed down until their blades were crossed uselessly at the hilt. The brute pushed all of his weight onto Will and despite his years as a blacksmith, the other man was taller by half a foot and at least fifty pounds heavier. Will could feel his muscles straining. Sweat poured down his reddened face as he fought to stay alive. If he gave in, the brute's sword would crash down into his collar bone, most likely shattering it, forcing Will to die a very slow and painful death if the blade did not kill him initially.   
  
Will could feel himself using the very last of his strength. His knees were locking and his arms were trembling from the strain. Will was resigning himself to his fate when the weight he was pressing against was suddenly gone.  
  
Will stumbled forward, barely have enough time to drop his sword and catch his weight on his hands as he fell. Panting, Will looked up to see Jack fighting with the brute that had nearly killed Will. The large man's right arm hung uselessly by his side, shirt stained crimson with large amounts of blood. Other cuts on his chest poured forth crimson liquid. A deep cut to the brute's side, sent him howling. He dropped his sword and clutched his side. Jack was on the man quickly, killing him before he man even knew what was happening.  
  
Jack's head turned quickly to Will, beads clinking together at the fast movement. Jack was plainly worried about Will's condition as he moved away from the dead man and towards Will.  
  
"Heart still pumpin' there, luv?" Jack's grin was back in place, but Will was touched by the obvious worry he had caused Jack. Jack's hands were gentle as helped Will to his feet.  
  
"Yes." Will said, though it was only somewhat convincing, causing Jack to look at him dubiously, eyes searching the younger man's body for any not-so obvious injuries. "You saved my life, Jack." Will said seriously. Jack, brushed it off.  
  
"You saved my life, I saved yours. We're square." He winkled at Will. "In that respect at least." Will blushed at the obvious innuendo.  
  
A barrage of insults broke the gaze that was steadily heating up between Will and Jack.   
  
They turned to see AnaMaria kick Crimp who was lying on the deck, hands bound behind his back. She spat at him, and hit him squarely in the eye. Jack, falling into his role as captain, strode towards what was left of the mutineers.  
  
"Crimp, lad, I'm disappointed. You really though you could take my ship with naught but a few hired thugs? Twenty or so and you would have at least had a fighting chance!" Jack bent down low and spoke to Crimp alone. "You should have thought twice about goin' against your Captain. 'Twas not a smart idea. Now you'll get a chance to see what I do to mutineers; I'm sure you're just going to love every minute of it." Jack stood back up, anger clearly painted on his face.   
  
Jack signaled to some of his remaining crewmen, Cotton, Kursar and Matelot, to take Crimp and Quartetto, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder, bellow decks and put them in the brig.   
  
"What do ye want us t' do wit' the rest of them?" Gibbs asked Jack.   
  
Jack grimaced at the sight of dead bodies all over his deck. "Throw all but Ladbroc overboard, the Tortugans deal with the stench of bloated dead corpses come morning; I'll not have their stench aboard my ship! Wrap Ladbric up and we'll burry him at sea." Gibbs nodded and turned to go. "And see if you can find us a few more trustworthy crewmen. We leave with the tides tomorrow."  
  
Jack walked over to where Will was standing, looking off into space. "Distraction handled. Simple as that!" Will looked up and smiled at Jack.   
  
"How about we head back in and pick up from where we were?" Will said quietly. Jack gave Will a look that made him blush and made his heart beat faster.  
  
"Go back inside, I'll join you in a moment." Will, his weariness forgotten, made his way to Jack's cabin, swaying his hips in an inviting move as he did so. Jack cursed the effect Will was having on him and went in search of his quarry.  
  
Amazingly, Jack found the bottle of rum he and Will had been sharing earlier, still where they'd left it. Jack picked it up and grind mischievously and began to whistle.   
  
"AnaMaria," Jack called to his first mate, who was helping Gibbs throw a corpse over the side, "iThe Pearl/i is yours." And with that a wink, and a smirk, Jack followed Will into the captain's cabin.   
  
Jack was pleasantly surprised to find Will lying naked on the bed. Will was propped up on his elbows and one leg was bent, showing off the faint curve of his ass. As bold as he appeared, Will's face was a deep shade of scarlet and one of his hands fidgeted.   
  
Jack closed the door and walked over to Will, his eyes eating up the site before him as he did so. He sat lightly on the edge of the bed, his clothed leg gently resting against Will's naked one.   
  
Jack lifted the bottle of Rum to Will's lips and Will swallowed greedily, a tiny trickle slipping out of the corner of his mouth. Jack pulled the bottle away and let his tongue catch the errant droplet of rum as it slid down the salty skin of Will's neck. He followed the droplet's path with his tongue until he was at the corner of Will's mouth. Will turned his head ever so slightly and sucked Jack's tongue into his mouth.   
  
"I'm beginning to fall in love with that mouth." Jack said as he pulled away from Will's demanding kiss. Will just grinned.  
  
"Is that all your falling in love with?" His voice was as calm as he could make it. Will's hand began to undo Jack's belt, 'accidentally' rubbing his crotch along the way.  
  
"Mmm." Jack moaned. "Oh, and the language that came out of the pretty little mouth." Jack grinned. "So dirty, so unrefined." Jack lightly ran his fingernails over Will's bare chest. "And. Oh. So. Very. Hot." Jack punctuated each word with a kiss to some part of Will's face.  
  
"We'll have to see what else you can teach me to do with my 'pretty little mouth'." Will's eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "I'm a /i quick study."  
  
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(1) I would like to give Quinn a huge thank you for info on male undergarments…I was having quite an interesting time tying to find out about them… for some reason, whenever I searched for things like history+"male underwear" or "underwear 17th century," or any other similar search, google seemed convinced that I wanted to see hot stars naked or in their underwear...and I'm pretty damn sure I found a site selling an Asian male underwear model o.O lol. And after all that, I had the oddest image stuck in my head - a chibi-Jack holding up a sign with an arrow pointing down at chibi-Will, who is hog tied and gagged and wearing naught but his underpants. The sign reads "Will Work for RUM" ^^()   
  
(2) I used these two web sites to come up with good insults. http://www.renfaire.com/Language/insults.html and http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/7384/insults.html  
  
TBC…  
  
Author's Note: I hope this chapter came out alright….Its been hard trying to find time to write without distraction…for some reason screaming is not conducive to writing smut *shrug* more smuttiness and ACTION in the next chapter…Which won't be up until Monday at the earliest (I'm going to NYC for the weekend). I know, I left off in a good spot again. Apparently I'm reprising my title of "literary whore" – which was my best friend's nickname in High School because right in the middle of a sex scene, make out session, or sometimes even just in the middle of a sentence, I would stop writing and she would get to the end of what I wrote and demand that I finish. Well, I'm absolutely exhausted. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Leave me feedback for when I get home! Thank you all! 


	7. Of Dealing with Mutineers and Pleasures

::Gets down and begs for forgiveness:: I am sooooo sorry this took so long to get out to you all!!! Please forgive me. Between getting ready to move back to school, moving back to school, unpacking, classes, the roommates from fucking hell, packing to move to a new room, unpacking and setting up all over again, and that little thing called school work, oh, and dare I forget procrastination ^^;;;;; it has taken me FAR FAR FAR too long to get this chapter out to you. I wanted it to be good and I hope you enjoy it. Again, my sincerest apologies for being so late in writing and getting this out. I can't predict entirely accurately how often I will be able to get each chapter out, but I will not abandon this fic! Please bare with me, and enjoy!  
  
NOTE: I have had to severely edit the beginning of this chapter for content, and I am not entirely satisfied with the results. The complete version is Rated NC-17 and is available on aff.n http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/story.php?no=7840&chapter=7   
  
Title: A Change of Course 7/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
Rating: NC-17 – look! The rating went up!!!!  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! These mailing lists, ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, (http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm) There's a little Paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!! Oh, I should probably add an angst warning here too…  
  
Author's notes: Thank you Cat for making me write this, oh, and of course, thank you for the challenge, which I'll mention in AN at the very end of the fic; after the last chapter that is ^^   
  
"* *" – thoughts  
  
"//iitalics/i//" - dreams  
  
Chapter 7: Of Dealing with Mutineers and Pleasures  
  
Taking the bottle of rum from Jack and placing it on the nearby table, Will began to disrobe Jack, as he was wearing far too many clothes for what Will had in mind.   
  
While Will's hands were occupied with the task of undressing him, Jack took the time to watch the younger man. His body was that of a magnificent statue; strong muscles from long years of work as a blacksmith, skin that was tanning, but still far more fair than Jack's own complexion. He ran his hands over the other man's chest, ghosting over the dark nipples and making Will pause in his undressing of Jack. Jack smirked and continued his examination of the fine specimen lying in his bed.  
  
Will had to force himself to concentrate on undressing Jack and inot/i on the fact that Jack was looking at him with such intensity that Will would have sworn he could feel the heat of that gaze. With Jack finally free of his effects, belt, and shirt, the pirate stood and removed his pants.  
  
EDDITED FOR CONTENT…PLEASE SEE http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/story.php?no=7840&chapter=7 for the unedited, NC-17 version of this chapter  
  
Will licked his lips at the sight granted to him; Jack stood naked in light of the just-risen moon streamed in through the open windows and illuminated his skin to a shade lighter than it truly was. The metal of some of the beads that adorned his hair and beard sparkled slightly, and Will felt as though he were being given a glimpse into what Jack's soul must be like. There was shadow all around, but somehow, the light came through, and in some places, he shined. It was as though this was the Jack few ever saw; this was the Jack who could pillage and plunder without shooting a shot and without spilling a drop of blood. This was the honest man who was known to do something stupid from time to time.  
  
Will's breath caught in his throat. If he had not been certain before, he was certain now – he was well on his way to falling in love with Jack Sparrow and there was nothing in the world that could have convinced him that that was anything but the right thing to do.   
  
Jack walked back to the bed and slowly leaned over to place a soft kiss on Will's parted lips. Will pulled Jack onto the bed and began to lay hungry kisses on Jack's mouth and neck. Jack lay his body down on top of Will's and both gasped at the first feeling of full-body, skin-on-skin contact. Will moaned. Blood rushed south and he began to thrust up, enjoying the friction that caused, but not being satisfied.   
  
Jack brought his mouth to Will's ear, lightly tracing the outer shell with his tongue. Will shivered and moved below him. He licked again and then gently tugged on the earring-less lobe, making a mental note to change that.   
  
"It is up to you how fast we take this. Say the word and I'll go no farther." Jack pulled back to look into Will's eyes, his voice was horse and his need apparent, but Will knew the pirate spoke the truth; if he said stop, Jack would do so, but that was far from what Will intended to say to him.  
  
"And what if I say 'don't stop'?" Will panted from beneath him.   
  
Jack grinned, his eyes alight with a hungry fire. "Then I shall give you a night filled with pleasures you only ever dreamed of."  
  
Will pulled Jack down into a bruising kiss. "Show me." Jack pulled away smiling.   
  
"Aye. I'll show you." And with that, Jack lightly pressed his lips to Will's before slowly kissing a wet trail down his chest. He stopped briefly to dip his tongue into Will's navel, making Will gasp softly.  
  
Jack moved maddeningly slow, ever teasing, and Will could do naught about it.   
  
Within minutes of Jack's initial onslaught Will was writhing on the bed, his hands balled into fists in the bed sheets.   
  
It was pleasure like Will had never felt before. It was not only that Jack had quite a bit of skill when it came to the pleasures and vices of the flesh, but it was the fact that it was iJack/i who was giving this pleasure to Will. It was Jack that Will saw every time he raised his head and looked down. It was Jack whose head bobbed and turned with every lick and suck that sent jolts of pleasure racing up and down his spine.   
  
Will knew he could not last much longer if Jack continued with the pace he had set. Will tugged on Jack's hair, hoping to convey to the pirate that if he did not stop he would fall off the edge too soon. Jack did not take the hint, or did not care -- whichever the case may be -- and sought only to speed up his already fast pace. Will gasped and moaned, voicing his pleasure in broken, unintelligible statements.   
  
Will could no longer hold off the inevitable. The fire that was building inside of him exploded.   
  
When it was over, Will lay there, temporarily sated and oblivious to the world around him. As his breath and pulse slowed back to their natural pace, he began to come around.   
  
Jack had moved up to lie next to Will and now stared at him with unbridled desire plain in his eyes. He looked at Will's naked, sated form and grinned, knowing full well that the magnificent picture of masculine beauty that was laid bare before him was his alone, and knowing that he could -- and would -- make Will scream in pleasure before the night was through.   
  
He let his hands wander about Will's body, loving the feeling of Will's flesh beneath his fingers. He trailed his fingers across Will's cheek and felt his companion lean into the caress. Jack lavished him with a flurry of feather light kisses until he began to respond to his affections once more.  
  
Opening his eyes, Will sought out Jack's mouth and kissed him soundly, tasting the bitterness of himself still within Jack's mouth. He pulled away and smiled one of those silly, lovesick smiles and gave a contented sigh. Jack smiled in return and before he could comprehend what was going on, he was on his back, being startled by Will.   
  
The sudden burst of energy could be attributed to Will's youth and stamina, but it was more likely due to the fact that Will could feel Jack's hardness pressing into his thigh when they kissed. All Will wanted to do was give Jack as much pleasure as he had received.  
  
Jack moaned and continued to babble as Will made up for his inexperience with enthusiasm, which did not go unappreciated by Jack.  
  
"Wait," Jack said as he tried to sit up and pull Will away from his task. "Will, stop." That got Will's attention. Surprised, and a bit alarmed and fearful that he had done something wrong or had hurt Jack in some way, Will pulled back. Seeing the look on Will's face, Jack grinned and somehow managed to semi-coherently get his point across. "I don't want to let go yet… I want to be in you… if you'll have me."   
  
Will nodded. "Take me," he said quietly, "I want you to take me," his voice was clearer and he looked into Jack's eyes when he spoke. Jack nodded and moved out from under Will. "Where…?" Will let the question hang in the air between himself and the very naked and very handsome form of Jack Sparrow.   
  
Jack rummaged around in one of the small compartments of his desk until he found what he was looking for -- a short, dark bottle made of thick glass and stopped with a cork. He sauntered back towards Will, his need bobbing against his stomach as he moved. "Oil, from Shanghai (1)." Will nodded. He knew the basics of what being with another man entailed, and he knew that oil, or something like it was need to ease one's way. "How do you want to do this, love?" Jack asked, sitting down next to Will. Will opened his mouth to answer, but Jack continued talking however, before he could respond. "It might be easier for you if I-"  
  
Will spread his legs a little farther apart and spoke. "I want to be able to see you." And so it was done. Jack smiled and nodded and leaned over to kiss him softly before settling himself between Will's legs.   
  
Will's heart beat faster and faster as Jack delved into untouched lands.   
  
Jack set a slow rhythm and he searched for the spot that would make Will scream. He said such dirty and scandalous things in his passion that Will would have blushed were his whole body not flushed in their lovemaking. Jack found the spot he was searching for and soon Will's pleasure mingled with his pain until it became a mild sort of discomfort that was insignificant compared to the fireworks that were exploding behind his eyes.  
  
Will cried out for Jack to move faster and harder, and Jack complied. Will could feel his body getting closer to its breaking point and all he could do was claw at Jack's back and urge him on.   
  
Will cried out incoherently for a moment before "JACK!" tore from his throat.   
  
Panting, Jack collapsed on top of Will, his seed sticking them together. Will's eyes fluttered open and Jack lazily kissed his sated lover. Will returned the kiss with as much energy as he could muster. He could not bring himself to care enough to expend the energy to get out of bed and clean up. Instead, Will curled into Jack's arms and the pirate held him close and safe as the iBlack Pearl/i rocked them to sleep.  
  
No nightmares plagued Will's dreams that night. He slept soundly and deeply, satisfied in a way he had never been before. When Will finally awoke, Jack was still sleeping. His arms held Will close and their legs were intertwined. Will's breath caught in his throat. It had all been real, every moment of it! He would have closed his eyes and snuggled into Jack's possessive embrace, but Will could feel Jack waking up as well.  
  
Jack stretched a little and Will rolled over to face him. Jack's trademark grin, albeit a not fully awake version of it, graced his face as he looked at Will and brushed the hair out of his eyes. His thumb ran across the stubble on Will's cheek with his thumb. Will could have sworn he saw a momentary look of disbelief at the fact that Will was there, in his bed. He brought his lips in for a soft, chaste kiss.   
  
They pulled apart and Jack licked his lips. "'Morning, luv. Sleep well?" Will grinned and kissed Jack again.   
  
"Better than you can imagine." Will pushed thoughts of his past disturbing dreams out of his mind, determined to enjoy every second of the morning. He opened his mouth to continue when a pounding knock at the cabin's door cut him off.   
  
Jack grumbled and fought to disentangle himself from his bed sheets to answer the obnoxious and incessant knocking. Jack did not even bother to pull on his under clothes to answer the door.   
  
Stark naked, a slightly annoyed Jack Sparrow opened the door to of his cabin to again find his first mate, Anamaria, on the other side. The woman did not seem at all fazed by Jack's nudity, and ignored it for all that Will could tell. She'd taken the room in with a glance – the haphazardly discarded clothes, and a naked, disheveled and slightly flushed Will sitting up in Jack's bed and covered by with naught but a sheet.  
  
"Ye be needed on deck, Cap'n." She said calmly. "Ye need to approve the new crewmen and sign their papers a'fore we leave, which should be soon. The tides wait for no one Cap'n Sparrow." If Will was not mistaken, she was reprimanding Jack and it was all Will could do not to burst out laughing.  
  
"Aye. I'll be on deck in a moment." Jack shut the door before Anamaria could say another word. Jack made his way back to Will and straddled his legs. "I wish I could spend all day pillaging and plundering in me own bed, but unfortunately, I have business to attend to on deck. By rights, so do you."   
  
Will gave Jack a slightly confused look, Jack just smiled and kissed Will lightly on the lips. "Papers, luv, papers." Will flushed at not having realized that the new crew members would need to sign papers, contracts that bound them to iThe Pearl/i for a certain period of time. "You are joining the crew, luv, are you not?"   
  
"Aye, of course, Jack! What sort of idi-" Jack silenced a slightly indignant, flustered Will with a searing kiss.  
  
"Hush. Come now, we'd best be getting dressed a'for me first mate comes a knockin' again." Jack grinned with his gold toothed smile and stood up, looking around in hopes of discerning his garments from Will's.  
  
The two pirates, for Will truly was one now, or would officially be one in a few moments time, dressed themselves in their discarded garments.   
  
With his effects in place, and his clothes restored to their usual location, Jack sought out, ink, quill, and paper from within his desk to draw contracts up on. Jack twirled the quill pen around between his fingers for a moment, lost in thought, before turning his intense gaze on Will once more. "Would you rather sign your papers in here, or in front of the rest of the crew?" Jack's voice was neutral and gave away nothing; he was being quite serious, and whether Will was aware of it or not, he was quite interested in which choice Will would choose.  
  
"On deck." Jack arched an eyebrow, Will continued. "The crew will see I am not just here to warm your bed." Will pulled his jerkin on as he spoke. "Oh, and Jack, if you try to make me your 'cabin boy' or any other such nonsense, I will never so much as kiss your cheek again." Will did not meet Jack's eyes as he buckled his sword at his waist. The threat was an empty one and they both knew it. It made Jack almost tempted to try something just to see what would happen, but his conscience got the best of him.  
  
"As you wish, luv." Jack nodded his head, straightened up and made for the door that led out of his cabin and onto the main deck.   
  
The sun was higher in the sky than Will had expected, though he should not have been so surprised. Jack sauntered towards a rag-tag bunch of miscreants, lowlifes, and loons and looked each one over. There were ten men varying in age from fifteen to fifty. They seemed healthy enough, and not a one of them looked particularly weak, but there was one, he could not have been much more than 25, an ugly fellow who was missing an ear beneath his shaggy hair, who seemed a bit more intelligent than the rest. He revealed himself to be a doctor of sorts when Jack questioned him. He has been some sort of apprentice to a doctor who was outlawed for practicing the medicines the native peoples and the slaves had taught him. Jack knew the value of having a doctor on the ship and welcomed him, and the rest of the new arrivals aboard iThe Pearl/i.  
  
Will stood back with the remnants of Jack's old crew while the man himself lectured about everything, instilling in the men the awe, fear, and sense of mystery that surrounded Captain Jack Sparrow. Jack concluded his speech by cursing the graves of the men who had once mutinied against him. With that being said, Jack smiled and began to write up contracts for the new pirates.   
  
"William Turner." Will jumped at the sound of his name, and turned to see Jack holding his contract. "If you'll please." Jack just smiled and Will accepted the paper and quill, scanning the page for any references to being Jack's cabin boy before signing it and returning it to Jack, who smiled broadly and winked at his lover.  
  
Dog-Ear (the doctor), Shrimp (the kid), Cable (a rather large man who seemed to be all brawn and no brain), Stripey (the old man), Killick, Davit, Bowsie, Laken, Gerik, and Turi signed their papers and Jack handed them over to AnaMaria, who led them to the crew's quarters. Will, meanwhile, followed Jack to the wheel, from where he ordered the anchors weighed and the sails unfurled as they made way for the open sea.  
  
Will leaned back against the railing as he watched Jack. The pirate looked so comfortable, so at home at the wheel of his ship. It made Will wistful and content at the same time. Normally, he would have watched Jack from afar, letting the tumult of feelings build in his stomach until the weight of them forced him to look away. He would look at Jack and long for the sense of peace, of being perfectly comfortable within your own skin, and of ibelonging/i that Jack seemed to exude. But now, for perhaps the first time ever, Will felt like he belonged somewhere, and that somewhere was there, on iThe Pearl/i with Jack. Especially with Jack. It was a nice feeling, Will admitted to himself, and it was even nicer to know that it was just the beginning.  
  
Jack seemed to be able to feel Will's eyes upon him, and he turned his head to look at Will. Jack's heart seemed to skip a beet as he looked at Will, who was momentarily lost in his own world. Will was pulled out of his revere when he felt Jacks eyes upon him. Their gazes met and he smiled at Jack before moving towards the pirate. "So where are we headed?"   
  
Jack's slight grin faded somewhat as his mind shifted back to the task at hand. "Well, first thing's first, I need to take care of Crimp and Quartetto's punishment for attempted mutiny. Then we'll be heading north for a while. On the way, we'll drop Ladbroc into Davy Jones' Locker." Will nodded. The living mutineers would have to die, Jack could not risk leniency, particularly with a new crew aboard. He would have to instill fear in the men.  
  
"Cap'in?" Gibbs asked from the stairs on the right. "We be comin' up on wee a patch of land, 'ave a look for ye self." Jack smiled and shook his head no.  
  
"No need, I know where we are." Gibbs nodded and turned to go back down the stairs. "Oh, Gibbs," the man turned, "have you seen any sharks about?"  
  
"Aye, Cap'in." Gibbs looked at Jack wearily, and Will raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Good." Jack said under his breath. "Bring the prisoners up on deck."   
  
"Aye, sir." Gibbs hurried to do as Jack ordered.  
  
"Jack, what are you planning to do?" Will was almost afraid to ask.   
  
"You shall see soon enough."   
  
They sailed for the small island and Jack called to the crew to drop anchor as they neared it. Gibbs, Cable, Boseie and Gerik "escorted" the prisoners onto the deck. The two men looked absolutely dreadful. Their wounds had not been cared fore and blood stained their clothing, caked on in patches. In some cases the wounds had already begun to fester. He men smelled putrid, and Will did not even want to imagine what the crew had done to them last night.   
  
Once the crew was assembled, Jack stepped forward to speak. "Crimp and Quartetto, since you saw fit to rise up and mutiny against me, I have no choice but to execute you. I vowed ten years ago that no crew of mine would ever mutiny against me again or there would be hell to pay. You and your dead companions deserve the worst possible deaths that I can devise."   
  
In an instant Jack had moved and had Quartetto by the neck and was pushing him towards the side of the ship. "Look down there and tell us what you see." Jack's voice was cold and Quartetto had no choice but to obey.   
  
"Sharks," he croaked out.   
  
"Aye, sharks. Do you know what sharks ido/i when they smell blood in the water?" Quartetto said nothing. "They go a little crazy, like this." Jack pulled a knife out of his belt, cut the man's bound wrists free, held out the mutineer's arm and cut a long, deep gash into his flesh. Quartetto cried out in pain. It was different to be cut in a fight and not to realize you'd even been injured for long moments after the incident, but without the adrenaline pumping in his veins the pain was quick and sharp. Jack forced the man's bleeding arm over the edge of the ship and watched as the blood dripped into the water at a steady pace.   
  
The sharks swam around the side of the ship where the blood was falling, searching for the meat they knew had to be attached. Quartetto tried to struggle but he was loosing blood fast. Jack threw the man to the deck of his ship and pulled out his pistol.   
  
Quartetto's eyes went wide as Jack fired.  
  
Jack's aim was true and directly to the heart. Jack motioned for two of the new crew members to throw the corpse to the sharks. They did so without question.  
  
A combination of morbid curiosity and blind hatred drew the crew to the side to watch as Quartetto's body was torn apart by the sharks bellow.   
  
Shrimp and another of the new crewmen lost what little they had eaten for breakfast over the side.   
  
When the frenzy died down a bit Jack turned his attention to Crimp. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today, Crimp, else I would be throwing you overboard alive." Crimp paled. "But I think some of your former crewmates would rather shoot you full of musket balls first." Jack nodded at AnaMaria, who in turn ordered at the men to move back.  
  
"Fire at will." Jack ordered. All but one of the men pointed his pistol at Crimp. Cable pointed his towards Will. "iAt/i will! Not at iWILL/i!" Jack knocked the pistol out of Cable's hand as the rest of the men riddled Crimp full of led.   
  
Jack was fuming and quickly ordered Crimp's body thrown over board. "If any of you ever take it into your head that you should like to try and mutiny against me, I hope you remember this. Next time, I serve you up alive and bloody to the sharks." Jack turned on his heal and stationed himself at the wheel. He ordered the anchors weighed and the deck swabbed. He gripped the ship's wheel with a white knuckled hand, pulled his compass out of its pocket with a shaking hand and set course north.  
  
"AnaMaria!" he called sharply. She appeared a moment latter looking rather pissed off for having been called in such a manner. "Have the men prepare Ladbroc for burial. The wheel is yours, the course is set. If need me, I shall be in my cabin. Otherwise, I will return within he hour to take care of Ladbroc."   
  
With that Jack turned on his heel and walked down the stairs.   
  
Will was uncertain weather to follow Jack or not. He'd never seen the man so angry.   
  
He caught AnaMria's eye and the woman cocked her head in the direction Jack had went. "Go after him. You're 'bout the only one who can set 'im right." Her voice was a mixture of annoyance, disgust and amusement.   
  
Will nodded his head and followed Jack into his cabin, far from certain of what to expect…  
  
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(1) I wrote this on a whim…I have no evidence or anything to back it up, but Cat and I agreed that Jack would have some sort of exotic oil for lubricant (maybe we were just tiered, but whatever), and where better to get "exotic" than from the orient? Now the question is going to be: What will they use when it runs out? hehe  
  
AN: WARNING: Gruesome content ahead!!!   
  
The following is a "death threat" from my beta reader (editor) of my fanfic; she hoped this would get me moving faster...and it did…sort of, hehe ^^;;  
  
If you don't get another chapter out right-quick, I'll gouge your left eye out with a rusted spoon, roll it around in various piles of various animal presents, get it right putrid, and stick it back in! Leaving you to fall victim to one Hell of a terrible, agonizing infection that causes yours skin to fester up in painful boils that ooze foul smelling puss. Eventually, you'll ooze such a quantity of puss that you will one night drown upon your own disgusting fluids and die a choking death of asphyxiation." ~Mel (-- B/N: And I meant every word… really… ^_^V) 


	8. Of Death and New Beginings

I'm so sorry I haven't gotten around to writing all of these responses until now, pleas forgive me. I truly love you all and your reviews brightened some of my darkest days this past semester. Thank you.   
  
LadyoftheEicari: Thank you for all your responses. I certainly hope you haven't died from lack of updates, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
Gryvon: Thanks for taking the time to leave me responses. It's nice to know that people appreciate research and I'm glad to hear that everyone (perhaps with the exception of Norrington) is IC. And thanks for the format/gramer notes…I'll take that into consideration when I get around to editing this thing some time in the near future (I hope).  
  
Ryoko: lovely review you left me, it never ceases to make me grin when I can make someone speechless. I hope you enjoy the rest of my fic as well, and I hope they slash didn't disappoint.  
  
Kuja's Moon: As always, thank you for all of your encouragement and reviews! I hope the past, present and future pirate smut are to your liking!  
  
QteCuttlfish: Thanks again for reviewing ^^ Regular reviewers rock my striped toe socks!  
  
melia: I'm glad you are enjoying the aff.n version…and steamy contact lenses…that's a hard feet to accomplish, hehe, you definitely boosted my ego with that comment ^.~   
  
DancingCheeto: (I love your pen name btw) Sorry for the wait in updating…life just got away from me…repeatedly. I hope this chapter, and the next make up for it however.  
  
kcqal: Thanks for your review. I really hope you like this chapter and the rest of my fic, and of course the pirate smut. Thanks again!  
  
DewTouchedRoses: I certainly hope you no longer pose any threat of spontaneous combustion since I have finally updated! Enjoy!  
  
Honey Bunches of Death: Thanks for your reviews ^^ They were quite entertaining. Some of my ideas I actually get from my gay friends and snippets of their fantasies. I still find it amusing that most of them don't know I write slash, hehe. As for Elizabeth…well, I'm going to hold my tongue as far as she is concerned…  
  
SariL2, Xellis Angelos, Luni Sedai, Kari-demon, Ormy, Kari-demon, Spirit-Fire, DeamonButtercup, lantisluver7, Honor, Hidden, Houou Kazoku-Kaga, Curious Dream Weaver, and Sweetslasher: Thanks for all of your little notes of praise and encouragement, I am much obliged and hope you continue to read and enjoy ACoC!  
  
And if anyone noticed that their reviews didn't get posted for a week over the summer, ff.n screwed up and deleated 11 of them...which I preposted in the reviews section. I love you all!!!  
  
::Comes out from behind a rock holding a BIG white flag:: Please forgive me! I am so sorry. This took too long to get out. No excuse will makeup for my tardiness, but I will just say that the real world got in the way of my writing. But I'm back. I hope to get a chapter out at least once a month. And I hope to get another one out this month. I hope you enjoy this! All the responses to reviews that my wonderful reviewers have left me will be at the end of this chapter ^^ And I thank Mel for not murdering me with her rusty spoon army as of yet…though she had every right to send them after me for making everyone wait so long.  
  
Title: A Change of Course 8/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
Rating: R (There is no difference between the AFF.N and FF.N versions this chapter)  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as for the first time they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! These mailing lists, ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? (http://evolutionsx.net/savvy/), Debauchery (http://debauchery.deep-ice.com/), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, (http://home.graffiti.net/cocfansite/coc.htm) There's a little Paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ^^;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!! Oh, I should probably add an angst warning here too…  
  
Author's notes: Thank you Cat for making me write this, oh, and of course, thank you for the challenge, which I'll mention in AN at the very end of the fic; after the last chapter that is ^^   
  
"* *" – thoughts  
  
"//iitalics/i//" - dreams  
  
Chapter 8: Of Death and New Beginnings  
  
Will paused before the heavy wooden door of Jack's cabin, uncertain of what to do and what to say to the man inside. The memory of the look on Jack's face as he left the deck— a look of a haunted man— forced his hand to rise and knock.   
  
Will's only answer was the sound of muffled cursing from within. "Jack?" he called, with as much strength as he could muster. No discernable response came. His hand rested on the doorknob and he took a deep breath before opening it inward.  
  
Jack stood with his back to the door and to Will. In his hand was an onion-shaped clay bottle that no doubt was filled with rum. By the way that Jack suckled at the bottle, he seemed determined to finish it off in record time.  
  
"Jack?" Will called again as he closed the door and approached his lover. Cautiously, not wanting to disturb the pirate, he drew nearer, his heart becoming heavy with worry.  
  
Jack brought his lips away from the bottle with an audible pop only when it was empty. He turned abruptly to Will, his eyes on fire and full of rage, grief and torment. Will's heart broke at the sight of unguarded emotions within those stormy depths, yet he stood his ground, determined to be strong when Jack obviously needed him.  
  
"Will." Jack's voice was rough and even. "Why are you here? You should be on deck."  
  
"AnaMaria…" he could not think of a reasonable excuse and instead just shrugged and offered a half-apologetic smile and a shy smirk as he closed the distance between them. "My place is here, with you." He kissed Jack deeply, tasting the overwhelming flavor of rum in his lover's mouth.   
  
"Aye," Jack murmured between harsh and needy kisses. Will whispered soothing words against Jack's lips as he pried the empty bottle from Jack's hand and placed it on the table. Jack's now free hands tangled themselves in Will's hair as the former blacksmith maneuvered Jack against the nearest wall.  
  
Will's hands busily worked at Jack's clothes, undoing buttons and lacings until he could feel Jack's pulsating length. Carefully and gently, Will pulled "little Jack" out of his confines. With the strong and firm grip he developed from years of hammering metal, Will teased his lover to a painfully rigid state.  
  
Jack hissed as Will teased his flesh with his hands. "Handle what needs handling, luv," Jack growled into Will's ear before taking the lobe between his teeth and tugging gently. Will growled and felt himself becoming hard as well. But this was for Jack, not himself.  
  
Ignoring the increasing rocking of the ship, Will sank to his knees before Jack and set all thoughts other than pleasuring the beautiful pirate out of his mind. It was not a time for teasing or playing with Jack, it was time for a fast, hard release of pain and pleasure.   
  
With strong hands and an enthusiastic, hot mouth, he brought his lover over the edge. Jack muffled his cries with his arm as the man on his knees swallowed greedily.   
  
Tucking Jack back in and wiping off his mouth, Will stood to look at his lover whose vertical stance was due only to the wall behind him.   
  
Jack's eyes fluttered open and he grinned lazily as he brought his rough hand to stroke the other's face. "That was… superb." Will laughed and maneuvered his partner toward the bed.  
  
"Aye," Will murmured as he settled onto the bed with Jack's weight supported on his chest. His hands were kept busy by playing with the pirate's hair.   
  
Jack had procured another bottle of rum from somewhere and brought it to his lips, drinking slowly. "Jack?" Will asked quietly, still uncertain what to say or how to confront his lover. How was he supposed to ask one of the most fearsome pirates in the Spanish Maine what it was that haunted him?  
  
"Jack, how did my father become a pirate?"  
  
"Oh well, you know, no one can resist the ol' Sparrow charm." Jack grinned up at Will. Will smiled in return, feeling a little more comfortable with Jack sounding a bit more like himself.  
  
"But was he always a pirate? Was he never an honest merchant like my mother told me he was?"   
  
"Will, my boy, I assure you he was no more born a pirate than he was born a Tortugan lass." He drank deeply before passing the bottle to Will, who in turn took a small swallow before passing it back into Jack's waiting hands.  
  
"How did he end up part of your crew then?"   
  
Jack smile rather wistfully. "Why do most men turn pirate?" Will looked at him quizzically. "For the money, luv; for the money." Jack attempted to use some superfluous hand motion but only resulted in pouring rum on poor Will, who was a bit surprised to find his shirt covered in rum and not a moment later to have Jack sucking at the shirt's fabric and lapping at Will's skin. "Would you like me to help you clean that up? You could use a rum bath. Good for your skin you know."  
  
Will shook his head ruefully and disentangled himself from Jack, ignoring the grunt of displeasure from the bed. Will removed his shirt and draped it over the back of Jack's chair to dry. Jack was grinning on the bed and looking quite pleased with himself when Will turned back around.   
  
Looking quickly from Jack to his shirt, he pointed an accusatory finger at Jack. "You meant to do that."  
  
"Nay, 'twas an accident. Blame it on the rum." Jack's eyes danced wickedly and he smiled a devilish and sexy smile that sent shivers through Will's body.  
  
"Aye, I'm sure of that," Will responded dryly, though he couldn't keep a straight face and soon broke into a grin and joined Jack in bed once again.  
  
"You said he joined for the money?"  
  
"Aye. You can make in one day's plunder as a pirate what an average sailor makes in a few month's time." Will knew, and the look he gave Jack said as much. "With a small son and a wife at home who needed what he earned, what do you think he would choose? Besides, there is naught different between a Pirate, a Privateer, a Buccaneer and a sailor in their Majesties' Navy than a little writ signed by them in power." Will worried his lip.   
  
"Aye, and that difference could mean the Hang-man's noose." He said it quietly, perhaps more to himself than to Jack, because he seemed rather surprised when Jack responded, as though he hadn't known he had spoken the words aloud.  
  
"True enough, but you court that same fair piece of rope as we all do now, whelp." Jack's Cheshire cat grin was back again. "And if the day comes when all manner of luck has run out for us both, we shall die together. Perhaps Norrington would be so kind as to…" Jack's grin faded when he noticed that Will had turned pale and was not laughing. He looked like a man who had seen a ghost. "Will?" The former blacksmith just looked at him, his eyes distant, which worried Jack to no end, though he did his best to hide it.  
  
Memories of all too vivid nightmares played over in Will's mind. "'Tis nothing, Jack." Will's voice was thin and distant, but Jack knew this was neither the time nor the place to ask.  
  
"If you say so." Jack handed the rum bottle to Will who took a good swallow and barely coughed when he was through. "William Turner was a good man, Will. He always did right by me. Almost landed himself on that God forsaken spit of land that Barbossa left me on after the mutiny. I think he only stayed because I threatened to kill him if he didn't. I suppose that didn't make much difference did it now? Cursed treasure and all of that." Jack was unusually quiet for a few moments. "Mutineers. Horrible, greedy lot they all are. They never change." Jack's thoughts were turning dark again.   
  
Will kissed the top of his head softly before kissing his lips. "Not all men will betray you." Will paused for a moment. "I never will. I swear to you Jack, I never will. Threaten to kill me all you want, I would still follow you. Better to die by your hand than to live without you."   
  
"So much passion, luv. We'll have to put that to good use." Jack plundered Will's mouth until neither could breathe.   
  
"Mmm, Jack," Will gently pushed Jack away. "Service for Ladbroc?"   
  
Jack swore and pulled away, muttering to himself before finishing off the bottle of rum.   
  
Ten minutes and a few kisses latter, Will, clad in his jerkin and pants, and Jack found themselves on the main deck with the rest of the crew as they prepared to deliver Ladbroc to the sea.   
  
The service was short, but heart felt. Ladbroc would be missed by those who knew him, and those who continuously beat him at cards. His body had been wrapped in his hammock and Cotton had sewn it shut, the last stitch going threw his nose, just to be certain that he was dead (1).  
  
Jack toasted to the memory of his fallen crewman and the rest of the crew followed suite.  
  
The day passed in a blur as Will put what Jack had taught him last time around about sailing into practice once more. Soon night was upon them and Jack gave them all leave to get drunk and reminisce about their fallen friend. "And," he whispered to Will, "for my men to see just who the new men are and where they stand."  
  
Jack spent most of the night at the wheel of the Pearl, a good excuse to do no more than throw a handful of choice comments into the conversations going on nearby. Will smiled as he realized just what Jack was doing. He made his men (those who had been with him since his last adventure with Will) come to him with information. Jack took all that was said in stride and laughed when it would seem appropriate to someone watching, not listening, regardless of what men like Gibbs had to say. He was gaining a newfound respect for Jack's intelligence, and for his alcohol tolerance.  
  
Will joined in with the men most of the time, but he kept an eye on Jack as often as he could, though he never actually went up to speak with him.  
  
AnaMaria proved to be the most interesting of the company aboard the ship. An enigma to all. There were perhaps as many stories about her origins as there were about Jack's. She too had a quiet and commanding intelligence that easily explained why the men had learned to respect her in a few hours time. Well, that and the fact that she did not take shit form anyone.  
  
"You're th' bes' thing that's happened to Jack in ten years," AnaMaria said from just behind Will's right shoulder. He had heard her approach, but was too enthralled by the inky sea and star studded heavens to turn, though he did smile.  
  
"It's mutual, you know." Will was thankful for the dark, it hid his blush well.  
  
"Aye, but it's still nice to see 'im happy." Her eyes were clouded over and he wondered again what ghosts haunted Jack. "Here." She placed a bottle of rum in Will's hand. "He said it was unnatural for a pirate not to get piss drunk the first night on board his new ship." Will looked at her quizzically and she just shrugged.  
  
Will accepted the bottle with murmured thanks and let his gaze drift back to his lover, who raised a bottle up in toast.  
  
*****  
  
All Will knew the next morning when he awoke was that if he were dead he shouldn't hurt so much.   
  
Will groaned as he turned his head to find Jack sleeping soundly as a babe. Will swore and his own voice was painful to his ears.   
  
With much care, and after about twenty minutes, Will made it from the bed, to Jack's door. Stumbling painfully outside, he was greeted by a rather hard, yet soft and warm wall he didn't remember from the day before. The wall, it turned out, was Cable, one of the new men, and his companion Dog-ear, who after trying to explain that he had a hangover cure three times just handed it to Will and ordered him to drink.  
  
Foul. He didn't want to know what was in it. What little there seemed to be left in his stomach threatened to come back up violently and it was by sheer force of will that it did not. When the nausea subsided, Will was amazed by how good he felt.  
  
"Doc, I have no desire to know what that was, but by God that is a miracle." Will looked at Dog-ear who had a very satisfied smirk on his face.   
  
"Some fer th' cap'in when 'e wakes up." He handed Will a clay jar and winked before turning to tend to the poor souls who were still passed out on deck.  
  
Jack emerged from his cabin some time later and after a dose of the Doc's medicine, he was giving out orders.  
  
"It's hunting season lads, and lass," Jack announced as he gave the wheel of the Pearl a turn. "We'll break you in, in no time."  
  
Jack was true to his word, and in three weeks time the men had learned how to work as a crew and how to plunder a ship with minimal casualties. "I think they're ready." Will overheard Jack say to Gibbs.  
  
"Are ye sure? They seem a bit green t' me still." Jack just grinned.   
  
"We shall just have to wait and see."   
  
Will supposed that conversation and something to do with the fact that when Will woke up one sunny morning, they were anchored in an unfamiliar port and he was alone in their bed. A note in Jack's scrawl lay on the pillow next to him.  
  
iDearest Will,  
  
If you would be so kind, dress in your finest (including the hat) and meet me at /i The Mermaid's Treasurei at 11 o'clock.  
  
Jack /i  
  
Will read the paper and memorized the location of the tavern Jack had  
  
mentioned before doing as he was bid and dressing in his finest. The last  
  
time he had worn this particular outfit was the day of Jack¹s execution in  
  
Port Royal, a memory that brought both fear and pleasure to his mind ‹ not  
  
to mention a little bit of worry for his somewhat daft lover¹s safety.  
  
With the addition of his sword and dagger to his ensemble, Will strolled out  
  
of Jack¹s cabin and put on a neutral mask. As he made his way toward his  
  
destination, frivolous and irrational thoughts about protecting Jack from  
  
all bodily harm until the end of time were never far from his mind.  
  
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TBC….  
  
(1) I took this from "Master and Commander: Far Side of the Ocean" Go see the movie, its good. And there were some slashy undertones…or maybe I read too much into things now. But some fanfics from this would be nice...  
  
AN: I hope to be getting another chapter out this month…in a week or two, but for now, I'm going to say goodbye…I need to go pack…I'm going to Disney World on Tuesday!!!!! Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirate's life for me… If anything is going to inspire me, I think this will be it! Not to mention the 6 and 7 hours travel and lay over time. 


	9. Of Costumes and Adventure

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack I hope you all like this chapter...a much better chapter filled with pirate smut, desert islands and perhaps a bathing sequence are coming up soon! Until then – enjoy!!  
  
Title: A Change of Course 9/?  
  
Author: ElizabethGreenleaf  
  
Rating: NC-17  
  
Pairings: JS/WT, WT/ES (friendship, post-failed relationship)  
  
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean  
  
Summary: Post PotC, Jack/Will. Life for Will, and even Elizabeth will never be the same as, for the first time, they each take their lives into their own hands and Will comes to terms with who he is and who he loves.  
  
Feedback: ::Holds up a sign that says "Feed the Starving Writer" and a big red arrow pointing to REVIEW:: R any feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope I have Jack IC, any suggestions welcome!  
  
Archive: sure, just tell me where so I can come and visit! These mailing lists, ff.n, aff.n, Savvy? ), Debauchery ), And Cat's stick-figure fan-comic will be posted on her site, ) There's a little Paint picture of Stick figure Jack up there now ;;;  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance/and a touch of Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::  
  
Warnings: Spoilers, Lemony goodness, SLASH, if two pretty boys going at it in the bedroom isn't your cup o' tea, get out now me hearties, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!! Oh, I should probably add an angst warning here too...  
  
Author's notes: Thank you Cat for making me write this, oh, and of course, thank you for the challenge, which I'll mention in AN at the very end of the fic; after the last chapter that is   
  
" " – thoughts "/i" - dreams  
  
Chapter 9: Of Costumes and Adventure  
  
A few minutes before eleven, William Turner found himself standing in front of a high-class tavern with a placard above the door proudly displaying a half-naked mermaid.  
  
"'The Mermaid's Treasure' indeed!" Will said quietly as he entered.  
  
The 'Mermaid' was unlike any tavern Will had ever imagined Jack frequenting. The place was clean, practically well lit (one could just about see out the windows) and it almost smelled decent. The few occupants were well-dressed and obviously quite rich. The barmaids and high-priced whores were dressed in clean, recently pressed gowns that would have almost been respectable had they not been quite so short at the ankle or had a less reveling décolletage (1).  
  
Will looked about for the wayward pirate yet he saw no one of Jack's unique... personage anywhere about. Will took a seat at a table in the back with a good, yet discrete, view of the front door and waited.  
  
Impatience set in less than five minutes after sitting down. He was a blacksmith-turned-pirate and here he was in a tavern that did not even deserve that title, while the patrons gave him looks of mild disgust because his clothes were not quite as fine as theirs nor were they the epitome of current fashion.  
  
Anxiously Will ordered a flagon of ale and sipped it, waiting for the elusive Jack Sparrow's eminent arrival.  
  
A man approached Will from a nearby table and Will paid the well dressed man little mind, save to note his presence, and kept his impatient eyes glued to the door. "Now what would a fine looking young lad be doing sitting here alone wi' his cup?" The man asked as he slid into a chair across from the ex-blacksmith.  
  
"That is none of your concern." Will said sharply as he turned to look scrutinizingly at the man who was now seated across from him.  
  
Will choked on his watered-down ale (some things, regardless of location, never changed). "Jack!" He cried as he continued to cough and sputter.  
  
The pirate sitting across from Will merely smiled a gentile smile and patted him on the back rather hard. "Now 's that any way to greet an old friend? Coughing ale upon him? William, I thought you had better manners than that." Jack's voice was more cultured than Will had ever heard it before and that was just the beginning of the differences between his lovely pirate captain and the, for lack of a better word, gentleman seated with him.  
  
Jack was dressed in a burgundy brocade Justacorps (2) trimmed in black with gold plaited buttons. What could be seen of his waistcoat revealed that it was of a trim fit and covered with extravagant patterns of gray. At his neck was a nondescript cravat. His breeches were also trim fitting, cut from a good quality fabric in a simple, serviceable black. Will was sure that if he could see the shoes they would be just as extravagant as the rest of him. Jack's hands were lightly powdered in lead to take away their tanned and weathered appearance. Magnificent rings Will had never seen before adorned several fingers. If the clothes were not enough to make Will speechless, Jack's face and hair were. Jack's tanned face was powdered white to a more fashionable shade. His beard was slightly more kempt and the beads were missing from his goatee. The kohl beneath his eyes was nowhere to be seen and he wore a dark wig on his head. To top the whole thing off was a very large brimmed hat with a feather even more lavish than Will's.  
  
Jack was a fine figure of a respectable man, but Will could not help but miss the rogue in whose arms he had fallen asleep in.  
  
"You," Will stammered. "You, you look..."  
  
"Handsome? Dashing? Ravishing?" Jack asked with a bit more of his usual flair and more than a little heat in his gaze at the last remark.  
  
"You look like a gentleman," Will finally managed to get out, shock, excitement, and dismay coloring his voice.  
  
"You don't like?" Jack asked a little apprehensively.  
  
"No, it's just that..." Will blushed.  
  
"That you liked the danger and adventure of the rogue pirate?" Jack asked understandingly.  
  
"Yes, that's true, but-"  
  
"Are you saying you wouldn't want to grace my bed if I were a gentleman?" It was at about this time the Will realized Jack was sober, or as close as he ever got to that particular place. His speech was less slurred and his eyes lacked any sign of drunkenness.  
  
"Jack!" Will hissed. His eyes had gone wide and a blush crept over his features.  
  
"Would you feel ill-used to have graced my bed if I were a gentleman? Would ye have felt like a brothel girl?" There was a teasing note in Jack's voice, it was the tone he always used to get under Will's skin and make him flustered and annoyed (Will always made the cutest expressions when he was outraged).  
  
Will opened and closed his mouth several times, but no words came out.  
  
Jack smirked at Will's outraged expression. "Ye need to relax a bit. I'd tell you to get yourself a girl, but you're already acting like one."  
  
"Why you insufferable, arrogant-"  
  
"Pirate," Jack reminded him with a flirtatious grin that was far more of the pirate than will had seen so far that day.  
  
"You're impossible!" Will stood up and made ready to leave, with or without Jack and regardless of why the pirate was dressed as he was.  
  
"I aim to please, love," Jack said quietly as he grabbed the retreating Will's arm in an iron grip. "And I please to aim, lad." He murmured in a husky voice. Will sighed in defeat as his anger deflated. Taking this as acquiescence, Jack released his lover's arm.  
  
"Why, Jack?" Will asked as he turned to look the pirate in the eyes.  
  
Jack grinned. "I'll tell ye as we walk, but we have an appointment at noon that must be kept." He dropped a few coins on the table and he seemed to glide, rather than swagger as usual, out of the tavern as Will trailed behind.  
  
"We are on the way to see a man by the name of Count Jaques Le Franques. He was once a good friend to my master, Sir John Founder, the best cartographer in all of England and Her colonies." Jack's voice was light but his eyes were hard and distant.  
  
"'Was?' What happened?" Will queried.  
  
"When I was still apprenticed to Master Founder, Count Jaques was his closest friend, though none understood their friendship. The Count, you see, was notorious for befriending, bedding, swindling, and leaving rich women after taking everything of value that he could. He was a devilishly handsome man once, before one too many of the husbands, brothers, and fathers of the women he ill-used got hold of him. By my account he had his nose broken at least four times in as many years.  
  
"The last time I saw him I was nearly eighteen an' finished with my apprenticeship. He came to my master yet again for assistance, though this time it was financial assistance he was seeking. My master was not a rich man, but he gave him all he had, including a certain map he'd required in... trade. Legend said it lead to a fabled treasure, but he had not finished deciphering the characters on it to be certain. The count took the money and the map and sailed for his family's holdings in the Americas. My master was put in the stocks for helpin' his friend and I was put out of the map-making business 'cause no respectable man would hire me to work in his shop."  
  
"So you turned pirate?"  
  
"Aye, 'twas not long after that I turned to piracy." There was more to the story, Will was certain, but Jack did not seem to be any more forthcoming with information.  
  
"So it is this Count that we are meeting?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And we are meeting with him to do what exactly?"  
  
"To get that map back."  
  
"And we are doing this why?"  
  
"We need a bit of – adventure - in our lives." Jack made a flourishing hand gesture. "An' I made a promise to a dying man. I keep my promises young William – you should know this by now.  
  
"And I suppose he doesn't know who you are, correct?"  
  
"Aye, he thinks I am a wealthy merchant by the name of 'Jack Turner' who wishes to do business with the respectable Count."  
  
"'Turner?'" Will asked, rather stunned.  
  
"Aye, love. You don't mind do you?"  
  
"No, it's not that!" Will blushed.  
  
Looking about for a moment, Jack pulled Will into a nearby ally and kissed him swiftly and thoroughly before pulling away with a cheeky grin. Jack strolled out of the ally leaving a smirking Will pleasantly stunned behind.  
  
Gathering his wits about him, Will straightened his clothes and casually walked out of the ally, barely missing the puddle of mud. Jack was a few paces ahead and Will hurried to catch up.  
  
"Jack, what name did you give for me?" Will straightened his hat in a shop window as they passed it, all the more self-conscious because he wanted to impress the pirate in disguise.  
  
"I didn't – yet. Though I imagine 'William Smithy' would do well for an incredibly skilled tradesman, who's skills were unappreciated in the small port where I found him working." Jack's eyes sparkled with laughter and the mischief that came with spinning a tale to perfection. "In exchange for transportin' an' settin' this youngling up in a new shop in a larger port town, I'll be receiving a certain compensation for me efforts – a percentage of the profits from the shop."  
  
Will thought it over, frowning slightly. "Aye, that will work."  
  
"Besides, I have a certain sentiment for Smith, or Smithy as it were."  
  
"Is that right?" Will asked rather dryly.  
  
"Aye, love. That day in Port Royal, I bribed the man minding the docks with a few shillings and he tied up me boat under the name of 'Smith'. And just before rescuing dear Elizabeth from Davy Jones', I gave the name Smithy. And as fate would have it, no more than a quarter hour later I was sparing with a lovely, if edgy an' more 'n a bit hostile towards meself, blacksmith." Jack winked.  
  
Will smirked. "I don't believe I know what you are talking about Mr. Turner." Will said in a voice that was as cultured as he could make it.  
  
"Right then. Here we are." A gated wall was before them and Will cocked an eyebrow up as he looked over at Jack. Jack took no notice, and strode through the gate towards the door of the house.  
  
"Please tell the count that Misters Turner and Smithy are here to call on a matter of some urgency, and some profit." The last was said in very hushed tone to the man who answered the door and asked them inside to wait in the foyer.  
  
The stocky, balding serving man returned a few minutes later. "His Grace wishes for the two of you to meet him in the library." The man bowed his head and lead them through a maze of doors whose facades matched almost seamlessly with the walls they were part of.  
  
The library was paneled in dark wood and despite the fact that the drapes on the windows were open, little light filtered into the book-filled room. At the far end of the room a man scrutinized accounting books. He wore overly expensive clothing and his aging face may once have been handsome but he had not aged well. His skin was sagging and his nose was badly crooked. He had an aura of superiority and cool composure, and a sort of dark attractiveness. Without looking up he gestured for his two guests to sit and the servant left, closing the door behind him.  
  
Patiently, Jack and Will waited while the Count finished what ever it was he was doing. "Now Misters turner and Smithy was it? What can I do for-" He stopped short and paled.  
  
Jack's roguish grin returned. "Hello Jaques. I don't believe you were expecting to see me again."  
  
"You! You were Founder's boy!" The man looked as though he had seen a ghost.  
  
"Aye, the name is Sparrow, Captain Jack Sparrow. Perhaps you've heard of me." If it were possible the man grew more ghostly. "And this is-"  
  
"Bill Turner!" The count stumbled to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process.  
  
"Not quite, but close," Jack informed him. "This is Bootstrap's son – William." Jack stood, walked over to where the Count stood, righted his chair and pushed the Count back down. "Now your Grace, we two need to have a bit of a chat."  
  
"I – I don't know what you're talking about." The man's eyes darted to Will as he attempted to gain some measure of composure.  
  
"You'll find no aid from young Will. Now," Jack removed his beautiful new sword from its sheath. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way, I assure you one is far more pleasurable than the other – for me at least." Jack studied the sword calmly and then suddenly it was pointed right at the count's throat. "Where is the map?"  
  
"I don't know what-" Jack pressed forward and a bead of blood appeared on the tip of his sword.  
  
"Where is Master Founder's map?" Jack leaned over so his eyes were level with the count's. "Don't lie to me old man. I would as soon see you dead. If you tell me what I want, I'll might let you live."  
  
"Gone! That's the truth! I swear!" The man was on the brink of tears he was so frightened.  
  
"Where is it 'gone' to?"  
  
"B-back to England! My niece has it in her possession." Jack removed his sword from the mans' throat.  
  
"And what is this niece of yours named?"  
  
"Juliana. She sailed this Monday past on the Ocean's Heart."  
  
"Now there's a good lad." Jack stepped away from the count. Jaques wiped the bead of blood from his neck, but not before it stained the lace of his jabot. "Now I'm sure that you are going to have us followed out of here and rather than having to fight, lets avoid that all together." In a flash Jack had rapped the count on the temple with the pommel of his sword.  
  
"Was that entirely necessary?" Will asked, slightly worried that the man was dead.  
  
"He's still breathing. Nothing to worry 'bout." Jack riffled through the desk drawers, removed a wooden box, broke the lock, and emptied it of its golden contents. "Back pay." Jack explained.  
  
The two calmly exited the library. "The count said he's not t' be disturbed." Jack whispered to the servant waiting outside. "An' we'll let ourselves out." The man opened and closed his mouth several times as he watched Will and Jack exit the same way they had come in.  
  
"Jack, that ship has a three days head start." Will said when they were a bit away from the house.  
  
"Aye, but we've got the Pearl." Jack had the glazed, almost lustful look in his eyes.  
  
Will sighed, defeated before he even started – it would be futile to even attempt to disagree with Jack so he might as well jump headlong into it. "So what is this a map to anyway?"  
  
Jack leaned over and whispered into Will's ear, "The fountain of youth."  
  
Will stopped short and looked at the pirate as if he were more than a little touched in the head. Jack just grinned and continued down the road back towards the docks and the Pearl.  
  
(1) the neckline/opening of a woman's gown. (2) an over jacket of sorts...it's the sort of thing you see Will wearing when the movie opens (that's a very simple one) or the fancy one that Governor Swan is wearing is a fancier and more stylish version) 


End file.
